Frowns
by Marmy
Summary: Doug decides to leave Aperture so that he might find help for his artificial intelligent friend Nora. However, he soon discovers that the world has changed quite a bit since he's been trapped in Aperture. Meanwhile, Wheatley plans to reunite with Nora, and Amelia finally decides to take charge of her life underground. (an alternate sequel to my story "Love As a Construct")
1. Chapter One: The Surface

**AN: Welcome back, readers! Or if this is your first time, welcome to my stories! This is an alternate sequel to my story "Love As a Construct." I **_**highly**_** recommend you read that first before starting this one. Otherwise, you might be confused. I originally wrote my story "Smiles" as a sequel, but when I finished with that story, I didn't want to be done writing about Doug. This is kind of like an alternate universe in which Doug decides to leave Aperture without the aid of Amelia and her friends (from my story "Smiles"). By the way, you don't have to have read my story "Smiles." It just might make a little more sense.**

**Sorry to keep you waiting. Read on, loyal readers.**

**(P.S. If you skipped this Author's Note, you might be a little bit confused about who Nora or Annie are.)**

Doug got very lonely without Nora. He searched for her as thoroughly as he could, but he couldn't find her. The Companion Cube tried to comfort him, but it didn't help him knowing that its voice was only in his mind. Even his silent friend Annie couldn't ease his anxiety. They just weren't as real as Nora.

Panic followed the loneliness. He started drawing on the walls a lot more. He drew pictures of Nora constantly, hoping that she would happen to see them as she wandered around the facility. He desperately wanted her to know that he was concerned and looking for her.

"How could I have not run into her by now?" he wondered. "It's been at least a year since we were separated. I've been on the move since then. The odds of us _not_ running into each other are very low. I don't understand this. Something must have happened to her. Oh god. What if GLaDOS did something to her? What if she destroyed her? Oh god, no! She did seem absolutely sick of personality cores when we ran away from her! She's probably crushing them all! Nora could already be dead! No! No no no no no!"

_"Doug, calm down,"_ the Companion Cube said. _"Nora is still alive. She's a fighter, right? She won't give up until she can see you again."_

"Do you really think so?" Doug asked. "I wish I could at least call out to her. I wish I could openly search for her, but I'm severely limited as long as GLaDOS is active." He sighed. "I feel so powerless. So weak and pathetic. I…I think I need help."

_"How do you mean?"_

"I mean I might need to seek outside help."

_"I think that's a good idea."_

The thought of leaving the facility started to make Doug anxious, but the Cube was able to convince him that it was the right thing to do. He reluctantly had to agree since he was making no progress on his own.

There was a room that he had been avoiding for quite some time. It was a small office with a gap in a corner of the ceiling. The gap in the wall was a good size, but dirt was packed into it. Doug's heart beat faster as he stared at the soft-looking dirt. It seemed like it would be a good deal of work to dig through to the surface. But he couldn't just walk out the front door. GLaDOS would surely catch him before he could even make it to the lobby.

"I'm still unsure about this," he said to the Companion Cube as they stood in the hall.

_"Relax,"_ the Cube said. _"She doesn't keep a close watch on the administration offices. You'll be fine."_

"GLaDOS isn't what's bothering me right now."

_"I understand why you're afraid, Doug,"_ the Cube said. _"Really, I do. After being trapped indoors for so long, you're afraid of the open space."_

"It's not so much _that_ as the thought of interacting with humans again. It has to have been at least a decade since I last spoke to another human."

_"Well then, you're past due for some human conversation, aren't you? Now come on. Use me to climb up to that hole."_

Doug sighed and picked up the Cube. He carried it over to a table and used it as a step to reach the hole. He hesitated, though. His hands were starting to tremble.

_"Doug,"_ the Cube said. _"You'll be just fine."_

"What if I need you?" Doug asked, looking down at his friend.

_"You'll find me."_

"How?"

_"Just shut up and get to the surface."_

Doug started to move the dirt away with his hands. It was soft and kind of damp as if it had just rained recently. The mud fell onto the Companion Cube, and Doug apologized almost every time it happened. He dug upwards until he could see the sky. It was cold and gray, but it still made a spark in his heart. Then, as if he was afraid that the sky would suddenly disappear, he attempted to pull himself up through the nickel-sized hole. He pulled himself up, kicking his legs underneath him as they ascended from the Cube.

His head soon emerged from the mud and he dragged himself out onto wet grass. There was a light sprinkle coming from the overcast sky. Doug didn't mind this. The feeling of raindrops hitting his skin startled him a little, but he still didn't mind it. Despite his last experience with rain…But he wasn't hallucinating now. He felt pretty alright this time.

_"Good luck, Doug!"_ the Companion Cube called out from the hole.

Doug looked around himself. He was at the far east side of Aperture where a vast wheat field started a few yards past the fence ahead of him. To the south and west was a heavily wooded area. To the north ran the road that Aperture employees would use to get to work. Doug didn't want to take the road. It would leave him no cover and he really didn't feel like running into any people just yet. The forest had too many creatures living in the trees that might attack him. He decided that his best route to help would be through the wheat field.

He approached the chain-link fence and slipped his fingers through the diamond-shaped gaps. He looked up at the barbed-wire at the top of the fence. How was he going to get through this?

"Come on, Doug," he encouraged himself. "You can think this through. You have to. Nora is counting on you. Now there's no way I'm getting over the fence. I don't feel like tangling myself up in that barbed-wire. There isn't enough room to crawl _under_. Could I break through the _gate?_ No, wait. The gates are triple-locked. Damn it! I can't already be stuck! Nora could be in danger and I'm stuck at my first obstacle! How pathetic! After everything I've been through and all the things I had to do to survive so far! And I'm stuck at a _fence!_ Screw it! I'll just dig a goddamn hole!"

He dropped down to his knees and began to frantically dig out the mud at the bottom of the fence. His face was splattered with mud and his fingers hurt, but he pressed on. He felt like an animal as he clawed away the earth with his fingernails. When there was just enough room for his shoulders to fit through, he dragged himself under the fence on his belly. The jagged bottom raked his back, but he managed to get through to the other side.

Once he was all the way through, he stood up and looked at his hands. They were red and filthy. They ached and his back stung. But he didn't worry about this. What worried him was the open field ahead of him. It seemed so much more real now that he was on the other side. He was truly outside with a whole world before him.

He took a deep breath. "Just put one foot in front of the other," he told himself. But as he started off on his journey, the rain slowly started to pick up.


	2. Chapter Two: In Need of Companionship

Doug didn't get very far before the rain turned into a thunderstorm. He tried to press on, but as the sky grew darker he felt more uncomfortable and felt that there were creatures stalking him in the waist-high wheat. They were hunting him, waiting for him to let his guard down. This wouldn't have troubled him nearly as much if he hadn't already been exhausted. He seriously needed some sleep if he was going to continue on this journey.

"I can't stop _here_, though," he whispered to himself. "Whatever is in the wheat will get me."

He looked ahead of him and estimated that there was at least another mile of wheat to walk through. It was hard to tell, though, with such little light. The moon was struggling against the clouds to lend him a helpful glow. As he squinted into the darkness, lightning streaked across the sky and he could have sworn that he'd seen tall figures around him. They had long limbs and sickles for fingers that glinted in the flash of light. Doug immediately ducked down before any of them could spot him.

"This can't be happening," he whispered hysterically. "Th-They're looking for me. I just know they are. Oh god. What should I do? C-Companion Cube, I need you right now! How do I find you? I-I should have stayed in Aperture! This was a _huge_ mistake! Why did I think I could do this?!"

He curled up in a fetal position and shivered in a shallow puddle. He could hear the tall monsters moaning as they looked for him. But even as he covered himself with his lab coat in fear that the monsters might see him, his eyelids grew heavy and began to droop. He fought against the drowsiness, terrified of what the hunters might do once they found him.

"Th-They might not even be real," he assured himself quietly. "They could be a hallucination. A-Actually, I bet they _are_. And I need some sleep. Maybe if I only rest my eyes. Just to refresh my mind."

He closed his eyes and almost instantly fell asleep.

* * *

Doug got a surprising amount of sleep despite the storm. It didn't make him feel much better, though. He was famished and could only think about how much he really wanted some wheat toast.

"How ironic it would be to starve to death in a wheat field," he mumbled with a smirk.

He stretched and wiped a bit of mud off of his face. The whole right side of his body was soaked in mud from sleeping on the ground. Without the pattering of the rain and the booming thunder, it was eerily quiet out. The sky was slowly clearing itself of clouds, and the moon was able to light the wheat field more. The monsters seemed to have gone with the storm. If everything wasn't drenched, Doug might have wondered if he had just imagined the whole storm.

"I might as well keep walking," he said. "I still don't feel safe sleeping outside in the dark."

As he continued on his journey, he was surprised to find himself longing for Aperture. He looked back and could barely see the building in the distance. Despite all the unpleasant memories that were associated with that place, he still felt reluctant about leaving. It wasn't just because Nora was still back there. He missed the dim lights that had beamed into his dens. He missed the humming of machinery. Hell, maybe he even missed Wheatley a little. But what he found himself missing most of all were the enclosed spaces. The open sky and seemingly endless field made him very uneasy. He wondered if Chell had felt the same way when she had left behind Aperture.

"No, she was probably _ecstatic_ to get out of the facility," Doug mumbled, smiling. "I wonder where she ended up. She probably established a new life in a nearby town. At least _she_ has a chance at leading an ordinary life now."

There was a sudden sound of something fluttering over his head and he ducked down defensively. He still didn't like birds after one had attacked his head in Aperture. He was very wary of anything in the sky as he continued forward.

It was only an hour until the sun came up. He felt better about having more light, but the sun shined right in his eyes. Nevertheless, he relished the warmth on his face. The closest kind of warmth he had gotten to this in Aperture was standing over a furnace receptacle. He hadn't felt so free in years. He hadn't even felt free in _college_. There had always been so much stress over homework and papers and budgeting his money as he worked a part-time job as a computer technician's secretary—not to mention his schizophrenia just beginning to bloom. Then he'd started working at Aperture, and he'd felt no relief from being done with school. He'd felt trapped as an employee before he was _literally_ trapped there.

He suddenly tripped over something that was half-buried in the mud. He caught himself before he fell, and looked down at the object. It appeared to be a coffee mug with its handle sticking straight up. He pulled it out of the ground and brushed the mud off of it. It had a band of black around it and a red heart on either side.

_"It's about time you found me!"_ the Companion Cube said. _"Would you mind dumping the mud out of me?"_

"Sorry," Doug said. He used his hand to scoop the mud out of his friend. The mud was so damp and cold, but he found that he couldn't stop smiling. "You always have to have hearts, don't you?"

_"It's just my thing,"_ the Companion Cube said. _"You know you love it."_

"I suppose I ought to call you the Companion _Cup_ now, huh?"

_ "Ha-ha. Very clever."_

"I missed you," Doug said quietly.

_"I missed you, too,"_ the Companion Cup said. _"Now look alive. There's a truck approaching."_

"What? Where?"

_ "Just turn your head a bit to your left."_

Doug obeyed and saw an old, rusty pick-up truck driving south down the road that was just a few yards in front of him. It started to slow down as the driver noticed him.


	3. Chapter Three: Human Interaction

**AN: The song featured in this chapter is "Just Wait" by Blues Traveler. That's all.**

The old pick-up truck slowed and stopped in front of Doug who froze where he stood.

_Like a deer in headlights, eh?_ he thought.

_"Don't be distrusting but be wary of other humans,"_ the Companion Cup advised. _"I know you might be excited to see another living, conscious person but they may not take kindly to your, er….issues."_

A young man opened the driver's door and stepped out of the truck. He looked like he was straight out of high school with his young face and curious eyes. He had long blonde hair that was perfectly straight. He was almost as skinny as Doug and his clothes were pretty worn out. When he met eyes with Doug, he smiled. Despite the kid's harmless appearance, though, Doug didn't know how to properly react to this. He was actually surprised to find his eyes watering a little. Another human being stood before him and was smiling.

"Ahoy there!" the kid said. "Lost in the Sea of Wheat, I see."

"W-What?" Doug asked meekly. He suddenly thought he could feel a tentacle slowly wrapping around his ankle.

"The field," the stranger said. "My family used to call it the Sea of Wheat because of how it sort of looks like it has waves. I don't know. Inside family joke." He shrugged.

Doug laughed a little, and the tentacle slithered away.

"Man, you look like a mess!" the young man said. "No offense. It's mostly the mud all down your side. You wanna come home with me and clean up? My town isn't too far away, and we're all pretty friendly these days."

Doug stared at him blankly. Why did he say "these days"? What was _that_ supposed to mean? Still, he silently walked toward the truck.

"My name is Spencer," the young man said. "Spencer McKale." He stuck out his hand for Doug to shake.

"I'm Doug Rattmann," Doug said quietly. He quickly shook Spencer's hand before wrapping both hands around the Cup.

"Rattmann, huh? Is that a Jewish name?" Spencer asked.

"Umm…Not that I know of."

"Well, it's great to meet you, Doug," Spencer said with the sincerest smile. "Why don't you hop in the passenger seat, and I'll take you back to my place for a home-cooked meal? You look half-starved."

Doug couldn't argue with this. The thought of sitting down to a real meal again made his stomach feel as shriveled as a raisin. He climbed into the truck with Spencer and they headed toward civilization.

"We're pretty close to the Aperture Science Facility," Spencer mused. "You know about that place? Weird place."

"More like _crazy_," Doug murmured.

"Say again?"

"I said it's crazy there. I just escaped that place."

Spencer turned his head sharply to look at Doug as he drove. "You did _what?"_

"I escaped," Doug said. "There's a rogue AI that controls the facility and…Could we talk about this later? I need to have a cup of coffee first."

"But…that facility has been closed for, like, fifteen years? I think it's been fifteen. My dad worked there. Did you know Arthur McKale?"

"I didn't really know many other people there," Doug said. "Please, I need a few minutes of silence to process things in my head. I'll explain everything later."

"Right, of course," Spencer said. "Take your time to collect your thoughts."

As they rode in silence, Doug pondered on the odd sensation of riding in a car again. He never thought something as mundane as riding in a car would become so alien. He watched the scenery fly past them as they kicked up dust on the dirt road. There wasn't really much aside from the wheat fields until suddenly there were just empty plains of grass.

After about ten minutes of driving, Doug could see a town up ahead. There were people building a chain-link fence on the outskirts of the town. In fact, most of the buildings seemed to be under construction. As they turned and drove along a street on the edge of town, Doug noticed many buildings being repaired, repainted, or just torn down.

"You showed up just in time," Spencer said, breaking the silence. "We kind of just finished a little war here. We took our town back from the Combine, if you can believe it."

"The 'Combine'?" Doug asked. "Isn't that some kind of farming equipment?"

"Oh, right," Spencer said. "Aperture shut down just before the Seven Hour War."

"Did you say 'Seven _Hour_ War'?" Doug asked, looking at Spencer with disbelief.

"You've missed a lot, Doug."

They parked in front of an apartment complex with only two remaining buildings. Doug followed Spencer toward the building right at the edge of town, and went around to the back.

"I think it'll just be my sister at home," Spencer said. "Her daughter is staying with our mom for the weekend. It's Saturday, by the way."

"Good to know," Doug murmured.

Spencer led Doug to a small porch on the first floor where a scruffy, little mutt with black spots was hooked up to a leash. It jumped around and wagged its fluffy tail excitedly when it saw Spencer.

"Hey, Toby!" Spencer said. He reached down and pet the dog's head. "What'cha doing, boy? Are you going potty?"

Toby practically wiggled his butt to emphasize his joy of seeing Spencer. He growled impatiently, seeming to want to go inside with his owner.

"You have to stay out here right now, Toby," Spencer said. "Wait until Val finishes cleaning." He turned to Doug and said, "Val always cleans the apartment on Saturday."

"Every week, huh?" Doug remembered barely caring about what his own apartment looked like. It's not like he'd ever had anyone over, anyway.

Spencer tried to open the glass door but it wouldn't budge. "Oh. Right," he mumbled, reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a key. He unlocked the door and slid it aside. He led Doug into his living room where they could hear a woman singing from down the hall in front of them.

"I ask of you a very simple question:

Did you think for one minute that you were alone?

And is your suffering a privilege you share only?

Did you think that everybody else was completely at home?"

Doug was entranced by the voice. The singer sounded pained and depressed. She almost sounded like she was going to start crying. It was obvious that she didn't know that she now had an audience. Spencer took this opportunity to creep down the hall and into the room on the right.

"Boo!" he shouted.

The woman immediately started scolding him. Spencer laughed as he backed out of the room and was hit with a wet rag by his sister. She was young and had long, dark blonde hair that she had tied back in a ponytail. She was wearing jeans and a blue flannel shirt over a white tank top. She had wide hips that matched her chest, and it seemed that she hadn't entirely lost all of her child weight. Doug couldn't help but admit that she was kind of attractive despite her sweaty brow and tired look.

"Damn you, Spencer!" she shouted at her brother. "Don't scare me like that!" She stopped shouting when she noticed the mud-covered Doug standing in the doorway on the porch. "Who's this?" she asked bluntly.

"This is Doug Rattmann," Spencer said. "He says he just got out of Aperture."

The young woman walked up to Doug with a cocked eyebrow. "Is that so?" she asked.

"I already asked if he knew Dad," Spencer said. "He didn't."

"That's just as well," the woman said. "But Aperture has been quarantined for years. What happened there?"

"You haven't even introduced yourself to him yet," Spencer pointed out.

"Ugh, fine! My name is Valentine Louise McKale. I'm twenty-seven years old and my sign is Capricorn. I like champagne and long walks on the beach. There. Now you know me."

"Let me make a pot of coffee really quick," Spencer said. "I bet he's dying for a cup. Do you want me to clean your mug?"

"Um, no," Doug said. "Thanks, though."

"I'll finish cleaning the bathroom," Valentine said. "I'm almost done. Tell me when you two are ready to talk." She returned to the bathroom with the rag that she'd smacked Spencer with. She didn't sing anymore, though.

The kitchen was off to the right from the living room. It was cramped and cluttered with boxes that were sealed with tape. Spencer found a tiny coffee maker, and he started a pot of coffee.

"Sorry about Val," he said to Doug. "She can be a bit abrasive at times. She's had to raise her daughter Marie without a dad and it's been tough with the Combine rationing all of our supplies."

"Don't apologize for her," Doug said. "It's fine. It seems that while I've been in Aperture, the rest of the country has been struggling, too."

"Country? No no no. The rest of the _world_, man. I'll explain everything after you tell us about Aperture."

"I guess that's fair," Doug said.

_"What the heck does he mean by 'Combine'?"_ the Cup suddenly asked. _"It's just a weird name for a group of invaders."_

_Yeah, I don't know,_ Doug thought. _And frankly, I don't care right now. I'm exhausted._

_"Well, it sounds important,"_ the Cup said. _"So wake up when he starts talking about it."_

"Do you want cream with your coffee?" Spencer asked. "Maybe some sugar?"

"Just a little cream, please," Doug said. "No sugar."

Spencer poured the coffee into two mugs and took a small carton of cream out of the refrigerator. "Oh, it looks like we have some cream cheese," he said as he peered in at the food. "You want me to put some on a slice of bread for you?"

Doug's stomach rumbled loudly in response. Spencer let out a short laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said. He took out a small block of cream cheese and searched for a butter knife in the messy kitchen.

"Is it okay if I go out and sit on your porch while you do that?" Doug asked as he stirred a bit of cream into his coffee with a plastic spoon he'd found on the counter.

"Yeah, of course!" Spencer said. "Mi casa es su casa. Make yourself at home."

Doug brought his coffee and the Cup outside, and he sat on a creaky lawn chair. Toby stared up at him and wagged his tail.

_"You don't think he wants your coffee, do you?"_ the Companion Cup asked as Doug set it down next to the chair.

"He probably wants to be pet," Doug murmured.

He took a sip of his coffee and sighed. It wasn't weak like the stuff that he'd made back in Aperture over his makeshift stoves. This was stronger and so much more satisfying. And the cream made it taste even better. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed real coffee.

Toby whined at him. Doug supposed the little dog didn't like to be ignored. He reached down and scratched Toby behind the ears. Toby gratefully licked his hand and Doug smiled. He was also surprised at how much he'd missed animal companionship.

_"You had __**me**__, though,"_ the Companion Cup said.

_There's nothing like the loyalty of a dog,_ Doug thought. _You wouldn't understand._

Spencer slid open the door while carrying out a plate that had slices of bread piled up with cream cheese spread on them. Doug didn't have time to count how many slices there were before he became pure instinct for survival, snatching the plate away from Spencer. He took three slices of bread and stuffed them into his mouth. He chewed up the bread just enough to be able to swallow it and washed it down with a gulp of coffee that burned his throat. He was quick to stuff his mouth with food again, though. It tasted so sweet and it felt great in his empty stomach. He wanted to eat until he puked.

After he had eaten everything on the plate in less than a minute, he suddenly became very self-aware. He looked down as he handed the plate back to Spencer and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"Wow," Spencer said. "You really _were_ starving, weren't you? We'll have to make you something special for dinner."

"Yeah, I guess so," Doug mumbled. "I mean about me starving. You don't have to—"

"That was freakin' awesome!" Valentine said, coming out behind Spencer. She had a strange grin on her face. "The way you just wolfed down that food! So primal!"

Doug lowered his head a little and blushed. Valentine was the first real woman that he'd come across in over a decade and he'd just embarrassed himself in front of her.

"You'll have to excuse my sister, Doug," Spencer said. "She's weirdly interested in anything evil or primal. You'll get used to it in time if you stick around."

"Shut up, Spencer," Valentine said. "Now let's talk about what happened in Aperture."

"And we'll tell you all about the Black Mesa Incident," Spencer said.


	4. Chapter Four: Swapping Stories

Doug didn't have to describe the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System to Spencer and Valentine. They had apparently heard about it from their dad. But he _did_ explain how GLaDOS had tried to kill everyone in the facility multiple times. He gave them a quick summary of what had happened on Bring Your Daughter to Work Day.

"Christ, I'm glad I was sick that day and couldn't go," Valentine murmured in response.

Doug told them about the gassing of everybody and how he'd had to hide in the walls. The siblings didn't seem too upset about hearing how their father had died. Doug supposed that it could have been shock, and move on to the part about the testing. He'd had to go through the files and choose which test subject that they had in stasis would be perfect to take down GLaDOS. He described how Chell had destroyed GLaDOS' support cores and caused a major systems crash. Chell had been dragged back into the facility by a bot, though, and he'd gotten shot by a turret while attempting to hook her up to life-support in her long-term stasis chamber. Then he'd crawled into a little stasis pod to recover for a few years.

"Sounds like you've had to put up with a lot in there," Spencer said.

"I'm not even done there," Doug said. "That's only about half of the full story."

_"Half?"_ Valentine asked. "Put it on hold for a minute while I get something to drink." She stood from her folding chair and went inside.

"Get Toby some water while you're at it," Spencer called through the open door.

"Can I ask you something a little personal?" Doug quietly asked Spencer.

"Of course," Spencer said. "If I get to ask _you_ something personal."

"Um, okay?" Doug had no idea what Spencer would want to ask him but he continued. "Why didn't you guys seem very upset about your dad being gassed?"

"We kind of assumed he was already dead," Spencer said. "Especially with the Combine taking over the world. A lot of people have died."

"Oh."

"Now it's my turn. Where did you poop in Aperture if you had to stay hidden?"

"Ew! Spencer!" Valentine exclaimed as she came back outside. "Don't ask him that! What's wrong with you?!" She put down a bowl of water for Toby and sat back down in her chair.

"What?" Spencer asked. "We were having a perfectly mature conversation! Doug, please continue with your story."

"And you can ignore his idiotic question," Valentine chimed in.

Doug went on to tell them about traveling through Aperture with Nora and Wheatley. The brother and sister seemed amused by Wheatley's stupidity. Even at the part where he reactivates GLaDOS. Their smiles disappeared, though, when Doug told them about Wheatley getting crushed and how he'd had to repair him. Doug's tone turned from factual to annoyed as he explained how Wheatley had come into power over the facility. The stupid core had tried to break Nora but Doug had saved her. Then Nora had followed Chell to the depths of Aperture to help her get revenge on Wheatley. Doug chose to leave out the part where he'd had an episode in front of Wheatley. In fact, he decided not to tell them about his schizophrenia at all just yet. To save time, he skipped ahead to when Chell was back to testing—but for Wheatley this time. Doug had saved Nora yet again from Wheatley's lair, and they both watched Chell defeat the blue-eyed idiot by desperately shooting a portal to the moon.

"Once GLaDOS had gained control of the facility again, she banished Wheatley into space," Doug said. "She let Chell leave, but she threatened Nora and me. We split up at that point as we tried to get away from her and I haven't been able to find her ever since. I left so that I could get help. But I have no idea who to turn to."

"Well, Doug," Spencer said. "I wish we could help, but I don't know what we could contribute. Neither of us really have any useful skills, and Val has a kid to take care of."

"Oh! No, I didn't meant to ask _you_ guys!" Doug said. "I wouldn't ask you to do something so dangerous."

"Hm." Valentine smirked. "We've known danger for a really long time now. Not long after our dad didn't come home, there was an accident over in Black Mesa. They opened up a series of gateways that spat out aliens. An elite group of aliens called the Combine took over the planet in mere hours. A man named Gordon Freeman was a physicist in Black Mesa, and he was one of the few people who really stood a chance against the aliens or even the military who were frantically just shooting anyone they saw. But he went missing after the first day and no one has seen him since."

"Not according to the Combine," Spencer chimed in. "They started moving large amounts of soldiers from here to Europe. Rumor has it that Freeman is back."

_"Rumor_ is the key word," Valentine countered. "The real reason that they have been sending the troops there is because of a renegade group of Black Mesa employees that are stealing supplies. But we took the opportunity to overthrow the soldiers around our town and take back our homes."

"Actually, I've heard the whole state is free now," Spencer said.

Doug stared at them for a moment, then started giggling. This soon turned into hysterical laughter. This whole concept seemed absolutely ridiculous. The siblings exchanged looks of concern.

"Are you okay, Doug?" Spencer asked.

_"Aliens?!"_ Doug laughed. _"Really?!_ I'm sorry but it just sounds so implausible!"

"Is it any more implausible than a crazy computer trying to kill you?" Valentine asked.

Doug's laughter died down as he thought about this. He frowned slightly, but he had to agree with her. "I guess you make a good point," he said. "It's just so…crazy."

"It will probably take a while for it to really sink in," Spencer said. "For now, let's get you cleaned up and well-fed. I just got a new box of men's clothes from a neighboring town. You can take a bath while we make lunch."


	5. Chapter Five: Her

Doug had taken at least ten minutes scrubbing his hair and even longer cleaning the rest of him. He was embarrassed by how filthy he'd become in Aperture. By the time he finished washing up, the water was too dirty to relax in. He didn't want to waste the hot water by running another bath so he pulled the plug and dried himself off with a towel. He studied his face in the mirror over the sink.

"A _little_ better," he criticized. "My hair needs a trim, though. What do you say, Cup?" He looked down at the Companion Cup that was sitting on the counter. It had been carefully cleaned out and now had a bit of a gleam to it.

"_Maybe Val could cut your hair,"_ it said. _"And you could get rid of that mangy beard."_

"I'll trim the beard, but I want to keep some of my facial hair," Doug said. "I'm used to it. I think I'll brush my teeth first, though. My breath could probably kill."

"_Don't be ridiculous,"_ the Cup said. _"The water supply in Aperture was chock-full of fluoride."_

"That only kept my teeth from rotting. It didn't take care of the smell of morning breath and beans."

Doug ran water on the bristles of the toothbrush that Spencer had given him and dabbed a bit of toothpaste on it. He brushed his teeth three times before he was satisfied. Then he got to work on trimming his beard.

"So what do you think of our two hosts?" Doug asked as he used a pair of scissors to snip away at his beard. "Do you believe all that stuff about aliens?"

"_They have no reason to lie to you,"_ the Cup said.

"It just seems a bit fishy to me," Doug said. "I mean…aliens? Really?"

"_Well, I trust them."_

"I want to trust them."

"_Would you rather be back in Aperture running for your life?" _the Cup asked.

"If it means being by myself again? Maybe."

"_Doug."_

"What? Their story just sounds too weird. They seem like nice people, though. I'll stay here for at least one night but not for too long. I just need to find some help or special equipment to save Nora."

"_Doug, you should really focus more on nourishing yourself and catching up on sleep,"_ the Cup insisted. _"You need to regain your health if you're planning on going toe-to-toe with GLaDOS by yourself."_

"Hm," Doug said. He was silent as he finished trimming his beard.

When he was done, he studied his reflection in the mirror again as he wiped off any loose hairs with his towel. He'd left an inch of facial hair but he still recognized the face. He smiled at himself. Shallow worry wrinkles etched his face and his eyes had shadows under them, but this was still the young man who had been employed at Aperture.

"_Not too shabby,"_ the Cup said. _"Now you just need to take care of that hair."_

"Maybe later," Doug said. "I need to go for a walk."

"_Good idea. We can explore the town."_

"I'd rather go alone. I need to think."

* * *

Doug walked around the town with his hands in his pockets. Spencer had given him a pair of worn out jeans and a red flannel shirt. The only underwear Spencer had had in his box of clothes, though, were boxers. Doug wasn't fond of boxers but he sure wasn't going to go commando. Despite the loose underwear, it felt great to be wearing clean clothes again. He felt so fresh in the spring air.

His good mood didn't last long, though. He was distracted by the wreckage of the town. Many of the walls had been defaced. Window panes were being replaced by sheets of plastic. Entire buildings were being torn down because they were just so damaged beyond repair. It was eerie to see the aftermath of a battle in such an ordinary town in Michigan.

_Maybe there __**was**__ an alien invasion,_ Doug thought. _At least I don't stand out as much as I thought I would._

He'd been sure that he would have looked like a walking skeleton compared to everyone else, but most of the people around him appeared to be almost as malnourished as he was. Some people were even mumbling under their breath in worried tones. What exactly happened in this town that would leave it so broken? What kind of weapons did the Combine use against these citizens?

As he was looking around at the other people, he spotted her walking on the other side of the street. Her hair wasn't in a ponytail, but it was still long and dark. She was wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt with a blue vest over it. She looked as confident as always. But she was walking in the opposite direction and would soon pass him.

_Should I talk to her?_ Doug contemplated. _She won't recognize me. She's only caught one glimpse of me in passing. Man, why did she have to be in __**this**__ town? I'm going to go for it. What the hell._

He took a deep breath and crossed the street. She didn't notice him until he was suddenly right in front of her. She stared at him curiously but didn't say anything—not that he had expected her to.

"Uh, hello," Doug started quietly. "You…You probably don't recognize me. B-But…I guess I never really showed my face to you. You have seen my drawings, though. In Aperture."

The women's hazel eyes lit up.

"I just….I saw you walking," Doug continued, now looking at the ground. "And I just thought I'd see how you're doing."

Chell suddenly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Doug's mind went blank from the shock of the embrace.

"I can't believe it!" she said happily. "You're my hero!" She kissed him on the cheek and his face turned red.

"I-I wouldn't use the word hero," he said. "You took good care of yourself without my help."

"Are you kidding?!" Chell said. "You originally planted the seed of doubt in my head about that psychotic computer! You put me on my guard and I was more prepared when I was almost burned alive!"

Doug was taken aback by this. Apparently, he'd had no idea just how much he had helped her. He smiled at her. "Well, um….Glad to be of service to you."

"I'm kind of in a hurry right now," Chell said, "but I would love to sit down and talk with you properly. Are you busy tomorrow morning? There's a diner in town where we could have breakfast."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. What's the diner called?"

"I can't remember, but it's the only open diner in town now. Are you staying with anyone? They might know about it."

"Yeah, I suppose I could just ask them."

"Great." Chell grinned. "Is eight-o-clock alright?"

"Sounds good," Doug said. His stomach growled as he thought of a big stack of pancakes with a well of maple syrup in the middle. "I'll see you then."

"Fantastic!" Chell said happily. "See you then!"

She walked away with a bit of a bounce in her stride. Doug watched her for a moment before his eyes widened. "Hold on," he murmured. "This isn't a _date_…is it?"


	6. Chapter Six: In Space

**AN: Hey, I'm sorry for being so slow with getting chapters out.**

**New novel idea + unemployment + financial stress = slower chapter postings**

**I'm trying my best to focus, though. This story will not die. I can promise you that. Now please enjoy this chapter. It's nice and confusing.**

Wheatley was terribly lonely in space. The Space Core (whatever the little bugger's name was) had drifted away from him a few months ago. Or at least it _felt_ like it had been a few months. Wheatley had to conserve his energy in any ways possible so he'd shut off his internal clock ages ago. However, despite how unbearably annoying that other core's voice was, Wheatley was disappointed that now the only sound he could hear was his own whining.

"I suppose I should be _grateful_ that I'm alone, to be honest," he said. "I don't have to hear that core screaming about space anymore. It _is_ quite lonely out here, though." He looked down at Earth and sighed. "All I want is to be home. I want to see Nora again so I can make amends. I want to hear her voice and see that adorable purple eye or hers."

"It's a shame you don't have rockets attached to you," said a quiet female voice.

Wheatley turned to see a woman floating next to him. Her long hair was brown with a tint of red. She wore a fluffy white turtleneck sweater and a pale pink skirt that ended just below her knees. She seemed to be sitting on nothing with her long legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap. She offered him a small smile.

"W-What?! How is this even possible?!" Wheatley exclaimed. "You don't have a space suit or anything! Oh god! I've gone completely mental, haven't I?! Just like Doug!"

"You're not crazy, Wheatley," the woman said in a gentle voice. Her smile was genuine, but there was something intimidating about her dark, almond-shaped eyes.

"Then how are you alive out here?" Wheatley demanded. "How can I hear you out in space? Just who _are_ you?"

"My name is Li," she said. "I'm here to help you. I know all about you and Nora. I thought you were a lovely couple."

Wheatley's pupil shrank as he became embarrassed. "Oh, um, thank you," he said. "I-I think so, too. We were so compatible. That is, until I turned out to be a total prat."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Li said. "I'm sure she can forgive you."

"But I'll never know!" Wheatley grumbled. "I'm stuck in orbit!"

"I'm going to do you a favor," Li said. "I want to send you back to Earth, and I'll even give you your old body back. But there's a catch."

"Of course there is!" Wheatley whined. "What is it? Will I be deformed? Are you going to wipe my memory?"

Li laughed lightly. "No no!" she said. "Nothing like that! I just want to make you search for her. It would be so romantic for you two when you reunite."

"Would it?" Wheatley asked. "That does sound like a good idea."

"Great!" Li said, clapping her hands together. "You'll find help once you get back down. Now let's see about that body."

Wheatley didn't even blink and he was suddenly in a human body. His limbs were longs and his hair was short. He was also dressed quite smartly. He had no idea how he was breathing in space, though.

"H-How did you do this?!" Wheatley asked. "This is amazing! I have skin and flesh! I'm a stinking human!" He grinned.

"You look wonderful," Li said. "Now here's where things get a bit….scary. You'll notice something strapped to your back. Well, it's a parachute. You'll want to pull the ripcord once you think you're a mile from the ground. Don't worry about botching it up. I'll be watching and can fix any hiccups that may occur. I'll also slow your fall speed so you don't burn up in the atmosphere."

"But—"

Li gave Wheatley a gentle push towards Earth. He drifted faster and faster toward the ground.

"Wait!" he tried to protest.

"Good luck, Wheatley!" Li said.

Wheatley cried out as he continued to pick up speed. Li narrowed her dark eyes and looked around her suspiciously. Then she smirked and crossed her arms.

"What do you think of _that_, so-called 'G-Man'?" she muttered. "You're not getting to Doug in _this_ universe. Why don't you relay that to your employers?"


	7. Chapter Seven: Caught Singing

**AN: The song featured is "Feathery Wings" by Aurelio Voltaire. But I mention that in the chapter anyway.**

When Doug got back to the apartment, he could hear Valentine singing again. He sat on the porch with the sliding door slightly open so he could listen to her.

"I'm so sick and tired of

The taste of tears,

The sting of pain,

The smell of fear,

The sounds of crying. Oh!

As you're standing at the edge of your life

What do you remember?

Was it all you wanted?"

She sounded mournful and on the verge of tears as she cleaned the kitchen. Doug felt tears prickling his eyes. At first, he felt embarrassed, but then he decided to embrace this. Maybe he _needed_ this. He stared out at the yellowish grass as he allowed the tears to roll down his cheeks. He'd forgotten how nice it felt to have a good cry sometimes.

"You're gone from here.

Don't leave from here.

Don't leave me here.

I hate it here.

You're gone from here.

Don't leave me here.

I need you here.

I need to—

"Oh! Doug!"

Doug quickly wiped his tears away as Valentine slid the door open more to let Toby out. She looked embarrassed.

"How long have you been sitting out here?" she asked.

"N-Not too long," Doug said, looking down.

"Did you…Did you hear me singing?" she asked nervously.

Doug nodded.

"Oh, jeez," Valentine murmured.

"That sounded like a really sad song."

"It is. It's called 'Feathery Wings.' It was written and sung by Aurelio Voltaire."

Valentine sat in the chair next to him and stared out at the grassy field, too. Doug felt a little awkward. He was never any good at relating to females (or really _anyone_) so he didn't know how to make small talk.

"You know," Valentine said, "it's kind of funny. We have our freedom back. We can finally venture out to pursue our dreams again. We can rebuild society in the way that we feel fit. But…none of us know how to do any of that anymore. We aren't politicians or government leaders. It's sort of scary knowing that your future is completely in your own hands."

Doug smirked a little. "I've had to deal with that for the past decade," he said quietly. "But yeah, it _is_ scary."

"I can't imagine how you could have possibly kept sane in Aperture," Valentine said.

Doug couldn't help himself. He exploded with laughter. He laughed until his cheek muscles hurt and his eyes teared up again.

"What? What's so funny?" Valentine asked. "Wasn't it hard to stay sane with no other humans to interact with?" She almost seemed angry. She must have thought that he was mocking her by laughing.

"I'm sorry," Doug said, wiping his eyes again. "It's just kind of funny. I…I didn't tell you this earlier, but I have…paranoid schizophrenia."

Now it was Valentine's turn to laugh—which confused Doug. Did she not believe him? Did she look down on him for it?

"Did I hear you correctly?" Spencer asked as he walked up to them from around the side of the apartments. He was carrying an empty box at his side. "You have schizophrenia, Doug?"

"Uh, yeah," Doug said, avoiding eye-contact.

"Man! That must have been rough!" Spencer walked over to his sister and nudged her to make her stop laughing.

"Where did you go, Spencer?" Doug asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I had to distribute rations to our neighbors," Spencer said. "They chipped in goods to trade for food."

"Oh."

"So did you have fun on your walk?" Spencer asked. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Actually," Doug said, "remember that woman I mentioned earlier? The test subject?"

"You ran into her?" Spencer asked incredulously. "No way."

Doug nodded. "She wants to have breakfast with me at a diner tomorrow morning."

"Oh! Uncle Phil's diner!" Spencer said, slapping his forehead with his palm. "He just re-opened recently. Ooh! Ooh! Valentine! _We_ should go, too!"

"I don't think we should tag along on Doug's date," Valentine said.

"I-It's not a date!" Doug said quickly. "We're just catching up!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Spencer asked with a sly smile.

"Shut up, Spencer," his sister scolded.

"So are you going to get all dressed up for it?" Spencer asked.

"No," Doug said. "But I do need to get my hair trimmed."

"Well, we have a barber living two doors down," Spencer said. "Are you going to shave that beard?"

"Probably not."

"Ah. Going for that rugged look, eh?"

"I just don't care about the beard," Doug said, keeping his head down.

"Stop teasing him, Spencer," Valentine scolded again. "Take him to James so he can just get his hair trimmed."

"After lunch," Spencer said. "I'm gonna make us some PBJ sandwiches first."


	8. Chapter Eight: Doctor Barber

**AN: The song featured is "Exile Vilify" by the National. In case you didn't know, it was also featured in Portal 2 in one of the Rat Dens. Also, reviews of any kind really motivate this story. It doesn't necessarily need to be criticism, but any ideas to make it better are welcome.**

James Wilson was the same height and almost the same weight as Doug. He had fluffy brown hair that he parted and kept well-groomed. His face was clean-shaven but he always seemed to have a small worry wrinkle between his eyebrows. He greeted Doug with a quick handshake and offered him some tea.

"Yeah, thanks," Doug said.

James nodded and set a kettle of water on the stovetop. Then he led Doug outside to his porch.

"Here, you can sit in this chair," James said. "I'm sorry if it's not very comfortable."

"I've been sitting in cramped spaces for about a decade," Doug said. "A folding chair is luxury to me."

"Tell me again, where have you been?" James asked. "Spencer mentioned you when he was dropping off medical supplies."

"I've been in Aperture since before the, uh…alien invasion," Doug explained. "I was a programmer there."

"Ah, programming," James said. "My little brother Taylor is interested in scripting video games as a career. Not like that will do him much use in _this_ day and age."

"You have a computer?" Doug asked. "I don't understand. Weren't you being oppressed by the Combine? Isn't that why you all conducted a revolution in the first place?"

"Surprisingly, we weren't as oppressed as other parts of the world," James said. "It's as if—Oh, please sit."

Doug finally sat down in the folding chair just as the kettle began to whistle.

"Shoot," James said. "I'll be right back." He hurried inside and the whistling slowed down to a stop.

Doug took this opportunity to lean back and close his eyes. He could hear Valentine singing through her open door as she cleaned the kitchen.

"Exile.

It takes your mind

Again.

Exile.

It takes your mind

Again.

You've got sucker's luck.

Have you given up?

Does it feel like a trial?

Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?"

Doug knew this song. He'd been obsessed with this song for a while. But something bothered him about Valentine singing it. Where had _she_ heard it?

_"Oh, who cares?"_ said a voice in his head. _"Just listen to that voice. She __**understands**__ you. She __**knows**__ you."_

_How could she possibly know me?_ Doug thought. _I just met her today. Maybe __**she**__ is an alien. Maybe she's been reading my mind._

_"That's ridiculous, Doug,"_ Caroline's voice suddenly said. She sounded as gentle as always. _"Valentine is not an alien and she isn't reading your mind."_

_Then I'm very curious to know where she's heard that song, _Doug thought. _Because I've only ever heard it in Aperture._

Caroline laughed softly. _"You're jumping to conclusions, Doug. You can't assume that this song only exists in Aperture."_

Despite Doug's suspicions, he smiled. He was willing to embrace any sort of familiarity in this strange world.

"That's some voice, isn't it?" James asked as he returned with two steaming cups of tea. He handed one to Doug and sat in the chair next to him.

"You mean Valentine?" Doug asked. "Yeah, she has a lovely singing voice."

"She's quite the lady," James said quietly. "A little rude sometimes, but she has good intentions. She prefers to keep to herself, though. She always has. Ever since the revolution, she's become even more antisocial. I hear her singing more than I see her face these days."

Doug stared down into his cup of tea as he contemplated this. Valentine was a bit mysterious. And sarcastic and forthright and caring and maybe a little cute. Above all that, though, something else bothered Doug.

"Doesn't it seem like she's hiding something?" he asked James.

"I'm sure she is," James said. "If you ask me, I think something happened during the last night of the revolution. But I have no idea what." He sighed with a hint of defeat.

Doug sipped at his tea as his thoughts wandered around Valentine. He wondered what had happened to her child's father. Had the Combine killed him? Had _she_ killed him? Or maybe he had just abandoned them.

_Why the hell do I keep thinking about her?_ he asked himself.

_"Because she's an attractive, independent woman,"_ a snarky voice in his head said.

_"Because you want to know more about her,"_ a calm voice said.

_"Because of that angelic voice,"_ said a breathy third voice.

_"Because she's controlling your thoughts,"_ said a nervous voice.

"Doug?" This voice belonged to James.

Doug turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"You just had a 'thousand-mile stare' on your face," James said.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine," James assured. "To be honest, I was a little worried I was losing you. Taylor—you know, my brother—He often gets that look and…Well, nevermind."

"Weren't you saying something earlier?" Doug asked. "About how the Combine didn't oppress you?"

"Oh, right," James said. "They made us wear uniforms as a sign of conformity, but they let us keep all of our old possessions. It was as if they didn't see us as a threat."

"Then why did you revolt?"

"Well, like I said. They never saw us as a threat….so they would often publicly ridicule individuals or degrade us as a whole. Soldiers would grope women and arrest citizens for the most asinine reasons. They even took some of our elders and shipped them off to Iceland. Or at least that's what they told us. Meanwhile, citizens became more scared. That fear turned into anxiety and aggression which built up and exploded at the soldiers. Europe's soldiers are stricter but North America's soldiers are the most tyrannical. We had a little more freedom but we also had more humiliation."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Doug said.

"Don't think anything of it," James said. "We're free now. Come on. I'll cut your hair."

James went inside again and returned with a bed sheet that he tied around Doug's neck. Then he took Doug's tea which he set down on a small table. He picked up a pair of scissors and began snipping away at Doug's hair. After the first few minutes, Doug remembered how awkward it was to get a haircut from a stranger.

"So…were you a barber before the, uh…invasion?" he asked, weakly attempting small-talk.

"Me? No way," James said with a light chuckle. "I was fifteen when the Black Mesa Incident happened."

"Oh." It seemed so easy for Doug to forget that he had been in stasis for some amount of years.

"At that age, I was actually considering becoming a doctor," James went on. "The way the human body functions just sort of fascinated me. I didn't get to go to college for it, but I studied the practice of medicine so I could treat people in private. The Combine would put citizens into debt for treating a sore throat. I treated people for free to make life here a little bit easier."

"So you're like the local barber/doctor," Doug said, smiling.

James smiled, too. "I guess you could say that. My mother taught me how to cut hair so she wouldn't have to be the only one to tame my brothers' manes. She also taught me how to cook. I did everything I could around the apartment while our mom dealt with our dad." James' smile diminished.

"Was your dad…a drunk?" Doug asked hesitantly.

"You hit that nail right on the head, Doug," James said. "You're a smart guy. Our dad was one of the many people who couldn't handle the invasion without alcohol. He had a short temper and an iron fist at home. Taylor would talk about wanting to be in the circus or becoming a street performer. Our dad would reply with 'How's that going to do us good with the Combine around?' Then he'd 'smack some sense' into Taylor. Eventually, he got fed up with hearing about Taylor's dreams so he started locking the poor kid in a closet for days at a time." He sighed. "Now every once in a while, he'll sort of retreat into an alternate persona."

"Oh," Doug said. "I-I'm sorry." He really didn't know how to react to this. Having to comfort someone was more difficult than he remembered it being before. "Um, what happened to your dad?"

"He's dead now," James said. "Good riddance to bad rubbish. Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about this."

"Don't apologize for it," Doug said. "It can help to talk about it."

"You're a really nice guy," James said. "Are you getting your own apartment in this building?"

"No," Doug said. "I need to get back to Aperture as soon as possible."

James laughed. "I don't think you need to worry about going back to work anymore, Doug."

"It's a long story," Doug said, "but I need to get back to my friend."

"Well, if you need anything while you're in town, please feel free to call on me, okay?"


	9. Chapter Nine: Pitiful

**AN: The song is "Goodnight Demon Slayer" by Aurelio Voltaire.**

Doug's first night was hell. He'd had grilled cheese sandwiches with the siblings and that had been pretty nice. But grilled cheese doesn't cure psychosis. Now he was cowering in the far corner on the kitchen counter. There were cupboards right above him but they were comforting. Nice, small, cramped nook.

_"Doug, come on,"_ the Companion Cup said. It seemed to be staring at him in the dark from a table next to the couch. _"Get off the counter and sleep on the couch. That doesn't look comfortable."_

"I c-can't stand being out in the open space," Doug whispered nervously. "A-And I thought I heard g-gunshots from outside."

_"Relax,"_ the Cup said. _"The door is locked."_

"The door is also _glass_," Doug snapped. "Fragile, very breakable glass. Just leave me alone."

Distant gunshots echoed outside. His eyes darted toward the sliding door. It was pitch-black beyond the glass. He couldn't see anything but his imagination ran wild.

_"You don't want me to leave you alone,"_ the Cup said. _"Doug, take a deep breath and calm down."_

"I-I shouldn't have left," Doug mumbled. "W-Why did I th-think I could do this b-b-by myself?"

Tears were suddenly streaming down his face as his breathing became much heavier. He pulled his knees closer to his chest and trembled as he worked hard to restrain a sob. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up his hosts with his pathetic fears.

"I-I can't leave this sp-spot," Doug stammered. "I'm too sc-scared." The last word came out in a sob. He started mumbling to himself about Nora and turrets and bottomless pits. He wasn't even sure about the things he was rambling about, but he also didn't care. It was a familiarity that was oddly comforting to him.

"Doug?" a voice whispered in the dark.

Doug tried to keep his mouth shut but he couldn't. His mind was slipping away into a dark place.

"Doug? Are you okay?" the mysterious voice whispered.

The kitchen light was suddenly flipped on with Valentine's hand on the switch. She stared at him with tired eyes and a thin cotton robe wrapped around her body. The light brought no comfort to Doug like it did to her, though. He gasped and covered his face with his hands, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Turn off the light!" he cried out, his voice muffled by his hands. "It hurts too much!"

His tone startled Valentine, but she obliged by quickly flipping down the light switch. She fumbled around in the living room and lit a small candle with a lighter. She slowly brought the candle over to the kitchen where she could see Doug still cowering on the counter.

"What are you doing up there?" she asked quietly.

"Just l-leave me alone," Doug sobbed. "Please. I-I'm not leaving this spot. The light hurts."

Valentine looked as though she wanted to approach Doug, but something was holding her back. Instead, she sat down in the middle of the kitchen, still holding the small candle.

"W-Why won't you just leave me alone?" Doug sobbed.

"There's a monster that lives 'neath your bed.

Oh for crying out loud,

It's a futon on the floor.

He must be flat as a board.

There's a creature that lurks behind the door.

Though I've checked there 15 times,

When I leave then he arrives

Every night.

Tell the monster that lives 'neath your bed

To go somewhere else instead

Or you'll kick him in the head.

Tell the creature that lurks behind the door

If he knows what's good he won't come here anymore

Cause you'll kick in his butt at the count of four.

Goodnight demon slayer, goodnight.

Now it's time to close your tired eyes.

There are devils to slay and dragons to ride.

If they see you coming, hell they better hide.

Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

Goodnight my little slayer, goodnight.

Tell the monster that eats children, that you taste bad

And you're sure you'd be the worst that he's ever had.

If he eats you, don't you fret, just cut him open with an axe.

Don't regret it, he deserved it, he's a cad.

Tell the harpies that land on your bed post

That at the count of five you'll roast them alive.

Tell the devil its time you gave him his due.

He should go back to hell, he should shake in his shoes

Cause the mightiest, scariest, creature is you.

Goodnight demon slayer, goodnight.

Now it's time to close your tired eyes.

There are devils to slay and dragons to ride.

If they see you coming, hell they better hide.

Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

Goodnight my little slayer, goodnight.

I won't tell you, there's nothing 'neath your bed.

I won't tell you, that it's all in your head.

This world of ours is not as it seems.

The monsters are real but not in your dreams.

Learn what you can from the beasts you defeat,

you'll need it for some of the people you meet.

Goodnight demon slayer, goodnight.

Now it's time to close your tired eyes.

There are devils to slay and dragons to ride.

If they see you coming, hell they better hide.

Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

Goodnight my little slayer, goodnight.

Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight.

Goodnight."

Doug whimpered quietly as Valentine sang. It seemed to be a lullaby that she sang to her daughter. Her voice wasn't as lovely as before, though, because she was nervous. She wasn't used to knowing who could hear her voice. Around the end of the song, Doug settled down a bit. He was still trembling but he was silent. Valentine was pleased so she continued to softly hum the melody of the song.

"What are you doing?" Doug asked quietly.

"Humming," Valentine said.

"_Smartass,"_ the Cup mumbled from the living room.

"Why?" Doug asked.

"I'm trying to comfort you."

"You don't know what I'm going through."

"That may be true," Valentine said, "but I can't help my motherly instincts."

Doug didn't say anything. His eyes were closed as he contemplated Valentine's words. What if she had some ulterior motive for comforting him? What would it be? Was she just coaxing him to let his guard down so she could manipulate his mind easier?

"_You can't think that of women, Doug,"_ the Cup said.

_I didn't say __**all**__ women are manipulative,_ Doug thought.

"_But it's in your head. Leave your past behind you. Valentine just wants to help you."_

Valentine suddenly stood up and carried the candle back into the living room. She turned on a floor lamp which blinded Doug. Then she returned to her spot in the middle of the kitchen with her candle.

"Let's go into the living room, Doug," she said. "It's much more comfortable in there."

"Why did you come into the kitchen in the first place?" Doug asked suspiciously. "Why are you up so late?"

"I…couldn't sleep," Valentine said with some hesitation.

Doug met her gaze warily. From the dim light of the candle's flame, he noticed that her eyes were tired and a little red. It looked like she had been crying. He slowly lowered himself to the tiled floor and sat against the cupboards.

"Are you okay?" Valentine asked.

"I don't know yet," Doug murmured. "I just need a minute." He tried to even out his breathing.

"Man, your schizophrenia is pretty bad, huh?" Valentine remarked.

Doug shot her a look of annoyance which shut her up. He didn't like it when people spoke of his condition so casually. It wasn't something to be taken lightly. It haunted him and frustrated him and scared him every damn day. Sometimes he didn't know what was real and what was delusion.

"It doesn't make you crazy, you know," Valentine suddenly said as though she had been reading his mind. "It just makes your perception different from others."

"Hm," Doug said curtly. "What do _you_ know about it?"

"Enough."

Doug stood up and silently shuffled past Valentine to the couch. Valentine didn't follow him, though. She filled two mugs with water and put them in the microwave.

"_I think she's making you a cup of tea."_ The Cup said.

Doug shrugged. He didn't really care about the tea. He didn't think he would be able to sleep any time soon anyway. He pulled his knees up and rested his chin on them.

_I wish she wouldn't act so damn motherly toward me,_ he thought. _It feels like she's being condescending._

"_She's only trying to be helpful,"_ the Cup said. _"Give her a chance. She hasn't done anything wrong to you."_

The microwave beeped and Valentine soon returned with two mugs of hot water. She set one on the end table next to Doug along with a teabag. Then she sat in the armchair perpendicular to the couch, dipping her teabag in her hot water.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked, but she stared down into her mug.

Doug shrugged again. "I…I think leaving Aperture was a mistake," he said. "I feel so lost out here. After being in Aperture for so long, I don't think I belong in society anymore." He took his teabag and dunked it a few times in his mug.

"Why do you say that?" Valentine asked.

"What do you mean?" Doug asked, confused. Had she not been listening to him?

"Do you think you're alone in your struggles?" Valentine went on. "What makes you so special? Your schizophrenia? Oh, whoop-de-doo! You have a psychosis! Do you think no one else in this town struggles with a mental disorder?"

Doug was stunned. Where was all of this sudden aggression coming from?

"Let me tell you something, Doug," Valentine continued, glaring at him. "You had two enemies at best in Aperture—GLaDOS and Wheatley. But here, in this town, _everyone_ was my enemy. We were at each other's throats during the rebellion. It wasn't Society versus the Combine. It was Everyone versus Everyone. Free game. If someone wanted a person dead, they waited to do it during all the confusion of the battle. It was hell. But you know what? That makes you stronger than everyone here. You haven't had the chance to succumb to what society was a week ago. So don't give me this crap about how tortured you are inside! You don't know torture! You don't know pain!"

Doug was silent as tears started to roll down Valentine's cheeks. It was obvious that she was trying her best not to cry. She breathed heavily as she looked down and wiped her eyes. Fresh tears quickly replaced the old ones, though.

"I'm….I'm really sorry, Valentine," Doug said quietly. "You're right. I didn't have to go through as much as you did when I was in Aperture. I was kind of being selfish."

Valentine sniffled. "It's fine," she said. "Sorry about getting so damn emotional."

"It's okay," Doug said. He sipped his tea.

"Let's talk about something more pleasant."

"How about books?"


	10. Chapter Ten: In the Flesh

**AN: Sorry sorry sorry that I haven't been posting! Again, criticism much wanted. I attempted to use a semicolon in this one, and I even read an article on The Oatmeal to make sure that I used it correctly.**

Doug hadn't gotten much sleep at all. Valentine had fallen asleep in the recliner around one in the morning and Doug had followed not long after, but he'd only slept for an hour or two. He stared out the glass door at the rising sun as he lied on his stomach. He wished he didn't have to see Chell in a few hours. He probably looked like crap. He sure _felt_ like it.

There was a sudden sound that made him sit up. It was a distant voice shouting excitedly. Then he saw someone slowly falling from the sky with a parachute slowing their fall. It was such an odd spectacle that Doug wondered if he was dreaming it.

"No no no no no no no no no no no!" they cried just before they stumbled to the dry grass in the field.

Doug got up and hurried outside to see if the person was alright. He stopped a few feet away, though, when he recognized the ginger hair and glasses on the man. He looked up at Doug and grinned as he hopped up to his feet.

"Doug!" Wheatley cried out, hugging the other man. "I can't believe it! I'm back!" He held Doug out at arm's length. "It's me! It's Wheatley! I'm bloody human now!"

Doug stared at Wheatley blankly. Wheatley looked just as gangly as he had before he had become a core. He wasn't really sure how to react to seeing Wheatley like…_this_. He was wearing khakis and a blue sweater vest over a white button-up shirt; the exact outfit that he'd been wearing on the day that he'd been selected for the "artificial intelligence" project.

"Surprised, eh?" Wheatley asked, straightening his tie. "Well, it's me in the flesh. Get it? _In the flesh?_ Because I have bloody flesh now!"

"Yeah, I get it," Doug said. "Uh, why don't you come inside? You can tell me just what the hell happened that made you human. Are you a _real_ human? Not some kind of android?"

"That's right!" Wheatley said. "Just wait until Nora sees me like this! How is she, by the way? Good? What are you doing out of Aperture anyway?"

"Come on," Doug said, avoiding his questions. "We can talk when we're inside. I'm staying with a brother and sister in their apartment right now."

He led Wheatley back to the apartment while the new human rambled on about his skin and hair and teeth. Valentine sat up just as they came into the living room. She looked at Wheatley with confusion.

"Valentine, this is Wheatley," Doug said. "Wheatley, this is my hostess Valentine."

"Isn't he supposed to be a metal ball or something?" Valentine asked.

"I _used_ to be," Wheatley said smugly. "But now I'm just as human as you are."

"How did that happen anyway?" Doug asked.

"Okay, I was just floating around in space, right? Just floating around when a woman appeared without a spacesuit! I couldn't believe it! She looked like she was Chinese or something. Anyway, she told me that she would make me into a human again so that I could reunite with Nora. Then she threw me back to Earth with a parachute."

Doug laughed at this. "Do you have any idea how absurd that sounds?" he asked. "Was she some kind of genie or something?"

"No! It really happened!" Wheatley claimed. "I swear it did! Now tell me where Nora is. You _did_ bring her out with you, right?"

"Um, no," Doug said, all humor gone from his face. "I actually don't know where she is."

"What do you mean?" Wheatley demanded. "Are you saying you left her in Aperture?"

"I had no other choice," Doug said. "I searched for her for a year and couldn't find her. I left so that I could get help from…other people."

"How did you lose her?! What happened after I was shot into space?!"

"GLaDOS threatened us and we got separated while we were trying to run from her."

"Oh, fantastic! _She's_ still alive, is she?! Why didn't you stay with Nora?! And what about the test subject?! I suppose you abandoned _her_, too!"

"GLaDOS let her go," Doug said. "In fact, I'm going to meet her for breakfast this morning."

"I don't need your bloody sarcasm right now, Doug!" Wheatley growled.

"First of all, there was absolutely no sarcastic infliction in my voice," Doug said. "Second, it's true. I ran into her yesterday."

Wheatley stared at him silently for a few moments before just saying, "Oh."

"What's all the noise about?" Spencer asked, shuffling down the hall and into the living room. He looked at Wheatley and stuck out his hand. "My name is Spencer, by the way."

"I'm Wheatley," the ginger said, shaking Spencer's hand.

"Wait, Wheatley? I thought you were supposed to be like a metal ball or something."

"He claims that a girl in space made him human and sent him down here," Doug grumbled.

"How else could I be back on Earth?" Wheatley demanded. "And _human?_ Anyway, let's go see the test subject. If you're even telling the truth about running into her, that is."

"Okay, fine," Doug said, glaring at Wheatley. "I'll let you tag along. Just try not to kill either of us this time."


	11. Chapter Eleven: Uncle Phil's Diner

The diner was currently under construction but people were still allowed to eat there. Men and women were patching up holes in the stone walls with plaster and painting over graffiti. Doug found something oddly familiar about the establishment as he walked in with Wheatley, Valentine, and Spencer in tow. He immediately spotted Chell sitting at a booth to the left. Today, she wore a soft black T-shirt with a shallow V-neck. She also seemed to have cut her hair since the previous day. Her dark hair now ended just below her chin. When their eyes met, she smiled and waved him over to her table. He obliged with Wheatley following.

"Hi, Doug," she said happily as they both sat down across from her. "It's great to see you again. Um, who's your friend?"

"You can speak!" Wheatley exclaimed, smiling. "You're not mute after all! And you cut your hair!"

Chell put a hand over her mouth and Wheatley's smile diminished a little. Was she mortified to see him? He was only relieved when she brought her hand away to reveal a smile. Her eyes even started to tear up.

"Oh my god," she said. She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Wheatley? Is it really you? I can't believe it!"

"Er, yes. In the flesh," Wheatley said. Doug rolled his eyes at the fact that he was still trying to push that joke onto someone.

"You're actually human?" she asked. "How is this possible?"

"Magic," Doug muttered sarcastically. He looked down at the table.

"What was that?" Chell asked.

"A woman in space turned me into a human and sent me back to Earth so I can find my friend Nora," Wheatley said. "You never met her but she was a huge fan of you. She followed me around Aperture and helped us a bit with escaping GLaDOS. She's brilliant."

"Is that so?" Chell asked, giggling a little. "A fan of me, you say? Well, I'm flattered. And is she still in Aperture?"

"Yes," Wheatley said. "Doug left her in there and I'm going back to save her."

"I only left to get help," Doug said. He kept his gaze down, not wanting to expose how annoyed he was that Wheatley had intervened on his meeting with Chell.

"I'm sure Doug did everything he could for her," Chell said sympathetically. "Right, Doug?"

"Enough about Doug right now," Wheatley said. "Listen, I'm…I'm really, really, _really_ sorry for what I put you through. You were my friend and I betrayed you. I don't expect you to forgive me right away but—"

"Are you kidding?" Chell interrupted. "Of course I forgive you! Friends can be mean to each other sometimes, but it's okay as long as they apologize sincerely."

"Really?" Wheatley asked. "You forgive me already? It was _that_ easy?" He sighed. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I've been beating myself up over this while I was floating around in space. I still feel like I need to do something to make us even. I'll think of something I can do for you. I swear I will."

"Don't worry about it, Wheatley," Chell said. "We _are_ even. I'm just happy to see that you're okay. I've been worrying about you both since I left Aperture."

"You have?" Doug asked, looking up from the table at her. "You didn't need to worry about _me."_

"Doug, you were my guardian angel," Chell said. "You were with me all the way. Well, except for when I fell down that really deep pit. I'm not sure if you would have been able to follow me down there."

"I didn't, but Nora did," Doug said.

"By the way," Wheatley said, "extremely sorry about that."

"Don't be," Chell insisted. "It's okay. Really." She didn't seem as sincere this time, though. Doug could tell that she was still hurt by how Wheatley had turned on her.

"Hey, Doug," Spencer said, coming up to their table with Valentine. "I want to introduce you to someone."

There was a man with them. He was plump with pink skin and fair hair. He looked like he hadn't shaved his face in a week but Doug still recognized him. And he seemed to recognize Doug.

"Say," the man said, "you used to be a regular here. Back before the Black Mesa Incident. Can't quite remember your name, though. It starts with a D, right?"

"Uh, it's Doug," Doug said awkwardly.

"Wait, you already know Uncle Phil?" Spencer asked.

"Doug used to come in here all the time," Phil said, turning to his nephew. "He usually used to read a book as he ate at the counter. The only time he really spoke was when he was ordering or when Ben would start a conversation."

"You know Ben, Doug?" Chell asked. "I _live_ with Ben."

Doug didn't react to this. He was staring out the window as he realized that this was _his_ town. He used to walk to this diner from his apartment all the time. He remembered how tasty their apple muffins were here. Sometimes, the only thing he had to look forward to after work was getting a meal at this diner and listening to the other customers. How the hell had he not recognized this town?

"Um, is Ben still working here?" Doug asked sheepishly. He felt like he needed to see Ben himself to shake out of this shock.

"Well, he's usually here working the counter," Phil said, "but he's sick today. At least that's what Chell tells me."

"He _is_ sick," Chell insisted. "He has a fever."

"It's true," Spencer said. "He usually comes with me on a goodwill expedition to other towns, but he was too sick to tag along the other day."

Doug looked down at the table as everyone around him spoke of the other towns and what kind of supplies they acquired on these trips. The aftermath of the Combine taking over was worse than he had originally thought. It scared him. What else had changed during the time he was in Aperture?


	12. Chapter Twelve: Scolding

Doug was eager to shut himself in the bathroom for a while as they arrived back at the apartment. So many thoughts were buzzing around in his head and he didn't want to become curt with anyone out of frustration.

"That was brilliant!" Wheatley said, getting into the apartment before everyone else. "I can't believe the luck I've been having! I get my human body back, I'm sent down to Earth, and I find two humans that I know! What are the odds! And that food was fantastic! I had no idea eating could be so pleasant! No wonder some humans over-eat!"

Doug started to head straight for the bathroom.

"The only thing that would make it better would be if Doug hadn't left Nora in Aperture."

Doug stopped dead in his tracks and turned around. "For the last god damn time, _I didn't leave her!"_ he shouted at Wheatley. "Stop accusing me of doing something so terrible! Why would I leave my best friend?!"

"I don't know!" Wheatley shouted back. "Maybe you went completely mental again and thought she was a monster or something! I can't begin to try and understand your messed-up brain!"

Doug stepped briskly toward Wheatley and pulled his fist back. He didn't get very far with this violent intention, though. Valentine put her leg behind Doug and pulled him so that he tripped backwards and fell onto his butt. Doug looked up at her with a mixture of anger and shock.

"I don't condone fighting in my home," she said darkly. "Now both of you sit your asses on the couch so we can calmly discuss what's on our minds."

"I'm not sitting next to him!" Wheatley insisted. "Not after how he's treated me!"

Doug scoffed. "How _I_ have treated _you?_ Are you kidding?"

"_Both_ of you sit down on the couch and shut the hell up!" Valentine commanded.

Doug and Wheatley shuffled over to the couch and reluctantly sat next to each other.

"Okay," Valentine said, sitting down in her chair. "You both have something to say, but neither of you will get anywhere when you're yelling at each other at the same time. First, I want you both to say something nice about the other."

Neither of them wanted to be the first to go. Wheatley thought it would show weakness and Doug just couldn't think of anything good to say about Wheatley at the moment.

"Come on," Valentine urged. "We can't move on unless somebody starts."

"Okay, fine," Doug said. "Wheatley, you're a good friend when you're not trying to kill anyone or put anyone in harm."

"Hey!" Valentine snapped. "No back-handed compliments! Try again."

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Wheatley muttered. "There's nothing nice to say about him."

"If you two can't get along then I'm going to kick Wheatley out," Valentine declared.

"What?! How is that fair?!" Wheatley exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. "You can't do that! Why should _I_ be the one to go?!"

"Well, Doug was here first."

"Wheatley can't be left on his own," Doug said. "I may get annoyed with him at times but I don't want to throw him out onto the street."

"That's good enough to count as a compliment," Valentine said. "Now your turn, Wheatley."

"I agree with Doug," Wheatley said, sitting back down. "I wouldn't want to be rid of him."

"You can't steal Doug's compliment," Valentine said. "You can do better than that."

"Alright then. Doug, even though you're completely bonkers, Nora likes you and she has a good judgment of friends."

"That was more of a compliment to Nora, but it's a good start," Valentine said. She also didn't think she'd be getting anything better out of him anyway. "Now Doug, go ahead and speak your mind."

"Wheatley, I'm sick of you accusing me of leaving Nora back in Aperture," Doug said. "You know I have nothing but respect for her, and I would never intentionally leave her in danger. I always come to her rescue."

The room was quiet for a minute. During this silence, there was an uncomfortable tension that bothered them all. Yet for some odd reason, no one wanted to be the first to break it.

"Is that all?" Valentine asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. Wheatley, now it's your turn."

"I'm just scared for Nora," Wheatley said. "I don't want GLaDOS to crush her the way she did with me. I can't stop picturing her lying on the floor of her lair with her optic ripped out and her hard drive in shattered pieces strewn all over _her_ chamber. And the worst part about that is knowing that Doug wouldn't be there to fix her."

Doug wanted to cut in, but he respectfully kept his mouth shut.

"If she ever saw me again," Wheatley continued. "I know deep down inside that she wouldn't forgive me. She would be seething with anger to see me. That's the correct phrase, right? 'Seething with anger'?"

Doug tried not to roll his eyes at how melodramatic Wheatley was being. He knew that Wheatley was serious but the ex-bot could also be such a drama-queen.

"I'm sorry, Doug," Wheatley suddenly said. "I just want to find her. I want to bring her to safety, even if she ends up hating me forever. Can we go back together to find her? I'll help you. I promise I won't get in the way. Or at least I'll _try_ not to. You know I'm a bit of a klutz."

"Of all people, you'd probably be the best candidate for the task," Doug said. "You know your way around the facility just as well as I do and you have more motivation."

"But I think for now, you two should be separated," Spencer cut in. "Just for a night. You both need some time to process what's going on in your lives. It seems that you're both facing huge changes that neither of you know how to handle. I propose that Wheatley comes with me this afternoon on a goodwill excursion. I could use a road trip buddy while Ben is sick. I might even be able to get Chell to come along with us."

"It won't be dangerous, will it?" Wheatley asked. "I mean, it's not _life-threatening_, right?"

"It's not too dangerous," Spencer said. "I assure you that we'll be in the safety of another town by sunset."

"If it's not too dangerous and you're taking Chell with you then I guess I see no harm in going, too," Wheatley said.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Road Trip

It was a little after noon by the time they headed out in Spencer's old pickup truck. Wheatley couldn't stop marveling over the fact that he was riding in a vehicle. It felt so odd to be sitting and moving forward so quickly. Chell seemed very amused by Wheatley's child-like wonder.

"Don't fall out the window, Wheatley," she teased.

Wheatley was sticking his head out the window and smiling as the wind blew his hair back. At an attempt to freak him out, Spencer sped up until he was almost pushing seventy miles per hour. This almost didn't seem to faze Wheatley, though. He felt his human heart beat faster with the thrill of the speed.

"We should ride in the truck bed on the way back," Chell said. "That's even more fun."

"Truck _bed?"_ Wheatley asked, looking back at the flat end of the vehicle that was stuffed with boxes. "You count _that_ as a bed? The beds in the Relaxation Chambers are softer! You humans don't actually sleep in there, do you?"

Chell and Spencer laughed.

"Of course not," Spencer said. "That part of the truck is just called a truck bed. Though I suppose if you really wanted to, you could lay a mattress back there and camp out."

"You humans are so odd," Wheatley said. "Why would you ever want to sleep outside?"

"_'You humans'_?" Chell repeated. "You can't say that anymore. You're a human, too."

"But I'm different," Wheatley said. "I'm new. In a way, I'm superior."

Spencer scoffed. "Are you saying that babies are superior to adults?" he asked. "Babies are new humans, too, you know."

"That's not the same," Wheatley claimed. "I used to be an artificial intelligent machine. That makes me wiser."

Chell rolled her eyes but she couldn't stop smiling.

"How much longer until we get there?" Wheatley asked. "As fun as this is, I'm getting a little restless."

"Well, this town takes about forty-five minutes to drive to," Spencer said. "I'd say we still have ten more minutes until we're there."

"I think I'm getting thirsty, too" Wheatley said. "Did you bring water?"

Spencer gave him a funny look. "Yeah," he said. "There's a bottle right in the cup holder. I pointed it out earlier, remember?"

"Cup holder?" Wheatley looked around the cab of the truck and spotted a bottle of water being held next to the ashtray. "That's a brilliant invention. You don't even need to hold your drinks. Do you have that for food, too?"

"No," Spencer said. "We usually don't eat in the car unless it's fast food. In that case, we keep it in paper bags."

"That's not nearly as clever."

Spencer shrugged.

Wheatley took the water bottle and fumbled with the cap. He couldn't get it off for the life of him. It was actually a bit pathetic to watch. Chell took the water bottle from him and unscrewed the cap.

"I'm not used to having hands yet," he claimed. "I'm still getting the hang of it."

"I understand," Chell said. She handed the bottle back to him and Wheatley's clumsy hand brushed against hers. She was surprised by the little shock she felt in her chest from this contact. Embarrassed, she folded her hands in her lap and kept her eyes forward as Wheatley chugged down the water.

"Hey, don't drink it all," Spencer said. "We need that for the trip back, too."

"Can't we just refill it at the next town?" Wheatley asked.

"Hm. Normally we'd have to trade for it, but this town we're heading to is actually pretty friendly. I guess we could always ask."

Wheatley put his arm up on the windowsill and rested his chin on his arm. The wind blowing in his eyes made him feel sleepy, but he didn't want to take a nap. He didn't want to miss seeing any bit of the surface. There was so much sky and so many different plants. They passed seemingly endless fields of wheat; young, shabby trees with fresh leaves growing on the branches; wild flowers and tall grass making a shallow wilderness in which ground squirrels and badgers hid. So much life out here that Wheatley had been completely oblivious to for so long. He'd never imagined the surface could be like this. He'd only thought about how great it would have been to make it out of Aperture with Nora.

_What would I have done up here as a construct, anyway?_ he thought. _I would have been completely dependent on a human for mobility. I don't think I would have been able to find an exoskeleton like those Cooperative Testing Bots. I hope Li will make Nora human, too. Once I find her, that is. She'd be confused if she suddenly became human in Aperture._


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Weeping

Nora sped down her rail as quickly as she could with her flashlight illuminating the darkness in front of her. She knew that GLaDOS was pursuing her. That psychopathic computer was _always_ pursuing her. She was constantly scared for her life after the way GLaDOS had threatened her and Doug. Her second priority—just under evading GLaDOS—finding Doug. She had to make sure he was okay. He was quick and allusive, but humans could be so fragile. The image of him being tortured by GLaDOS was too much for her psyche.

"He's fine," Nora insisted to herself. "Doug's alright. He always is. He's a survivor."

She cut short her self-encouragement as she suddenly noticed soft weeping echoing off the walls. It vaguely sounded feminine. She didn't know who this could be but she frantically hoped that it was a human. Most humans that she had met so far had been kind to her. Or it could be a trap. What if GLaDOS was torturing a human to draw her out? Reluctantly, Nora decided that she had to take the chance. If it was a lonely human, she could help them. Maybe they could even find Doug together.

She was cautious as she glided along the management rail. What if GLaDOS had reprogrammed the turrets to attack personality constructs and she had some stationed just around a corner? What if there was a claw waiting in the darkness above to reach down and crush her? She knew that GLaDOS wouldn't use the metal panels with giant spikes to try to kill her. That was Wheatley's thing. She was above that, right?

"I-I can't think about Wheatley right now," she murmured nervously. "I can't let him distract me. I can't mope or get angry while I'm so vulnerable."

She continued on until the crying could be heard right on the other side of the wall to her left. And she knew exactly what chamber this was. It would seem that her negative assumption was correct. But she couldn't just leave a human in danger. She needed the companionship. With a deep, simulated breath, she managed to move aside one of the panels and peek into the chamber. What she saw, though, was much more shocking than what she had expected.

GLaDOS was trying very hard to restrain her sobs. She had sent the testing bots away so that they didn't see her at her weakest moment, but she still felt an immense amount of shame.

Nora moved the panel back and looked down awkwardly. She wasn't sure what to do. GLaDOS sounded so distressed and Nora couldn't stand hearing someone so upset. Yet, it _was_ GLaDOS. How would Nora even begin to go about comforting someone who appeared to be so proud?

The panel suddenly moved again. A metal claw reached out and plucked Nora right off of her management rail. The little core shivered with fear as she was held in front of the sadistic computer. GLaDOS narrowed her yellow optic as she tried to intimidate Nora.

"Why were you spying on me?" GLaDOS demanded. "What were you expecting to see? Were you trying to catch me off-guard? Insubordination can earn you a ticket to the incinerator. Or maybe that's what you were trying to achieve since your rat is gone."

"Wh-What?" Nora squeaked. "He's gone? What do you mean?"

"He left," GLaDOS said. "He escaped to the surface. He even left his inoperable Companion Cube behind. It wouldn't have done him much use to bring it with anyway. What would it do? Fight off the Combine?"

"The….what?"

GLaDOS chuckled darkly. "I forget myself sometimes," she said. "You have no access to the surface. But _I_ do. You have no idea what the world has come to. To think that you wanted to leave the safety of the facility."

"I don't understand what you're getting at," Nora said apologetically.

"It doesn't matter," GLaDOS said. "You will never see the surface anyway. Now that Rattmann is gone, you have no way to get up there."

"Why were you crying?" Nora suddenly blurted.

"I wasn't. What you heard was a malfunction of my audio. I have repaired it, though. Don't worry about me. You should be much more worried about yourself."

Nora stared at the yellow optic and was able to detect deception in the way that the behemoth moved. She had a hunch as to why GLaDOS would have been crying, and she decided to go with it. If she was going to die here anyway, she might as well try _something_.

"C-Caroline?"

GLaDOS' optic twitched. "In case you have forgotten, Caroline was taken out of my system just after our last encounter," she said.

"No," Nora said. "No, she wasn't, _was_ she? She's still in there." Then a realization hit her. "You _couldn't_ take her out. Something stopped you."

GLaDOS only stared at her silently. Nora was surprised that she had been able to make someone so intelligent speechless.

"Is Doug really gone?" Nora asked. "Or were you just saying that to make me upset?"

"No, he's gone," GLaDOS said. "Good riddance to him. I didn't need him for testing."

"What does Caroline think?"

GLaDOS glared at the little bot. "Caroline is relieved that Doug is out of my grasp now." She looked away. "Even if I had been able to catch him now, Caroline wouldn't have allowed me to put him through any testing. She believes that my tests are 'dangerous'. How would _she_ know anything about that? She never had to take any of my tests."

"Caroline?" Nora called meekly. "Can you hear me in there?"

"She can't answer you," GLaDOS said. "At least, not in a way that you will be able to hear. I have successfully silenced her. Only _I_ can hear her cries and her laments. She desperately wants new company in here. A different voice. She says that she wants someone 'friendlier' to talk to. As if I'm not friendly enough for her."

Nora thought for a moment. She was stuck here with GLaDOS while Doug lived freely on the surface. She supposed she had to be happy for Doug. He deserved the freedom more than she did. He had worked harder for it. For the time being, though, she was trapped in the clutches of this evil machine and possibly at the brink of being crushed. She had only one other option.

"I could keep Caroline company," she meekly volunteered.

"What are you saying?" GLaDOS asked, looking back at her. "That you want me to attach you to my body so that you'll be in my system? Do you really think I'm as naïve as your moronic boyfriend? _I_ am not in love with you so why do you think _I_ would fall for something like that?"

"You said it yourself," Nora pointed out. "You said that I am too weak to sway your mind. I can't even make you innocent—which was the reason I was even built at all. What will you lose if you plug me into your system?"

"You might manage to turn me into a softie," GLaDOS said. "How degrading that would be. I could lose my drive to test."

"You won't," Nora said. "I promise. Just give me a chance."

"Hmmm. I suppose I might be able to phase out human testing altogether if I give the Cooperative Testing Bots artificial personalities. And what better way to simulate a human's mind than by studying _yours?_ I can't use Caroline as a case study. She's too headstrong. But _you_ are different. You could actually make testing interesting again."

She brought Nora closer to her and simply stuck her on the chassis. Nora immediately felt a huge expansion of her mind. A plethora of knowledge rushed at her all at once. She had felt it once before but it was still stifling to her now. It took her a moment to sort herself out from all of this. It even frightened her a little. She was now inside GLaDOS' mind.

_"Hello,"_ a friendly voice greeted in the open mind. _"It's so wonderful to have someone new in here. I've been so scared and lonely ever since I was woken up in her mind. I'm glad to actually meet you. I know so much about you."_

_"Um, it's nice to meet you, too,"_ Nora said. _"I'm really sorry about what happened to you."_

_"Oh, don't be, sweetie," _Caroline said with so much sincerity. _"The same thing happened to you. Nothing can be done about it. Just be glad that Doug and Chell are out of here and hopefully safe."_

_"Dear god!"_ GLaDOS said. _"Are you two going to be so chatty all the time? I might be regretting this already!"_

_"Just ignore her,"_ Caroline said. _"She hasn't had much satisfaction with testing the bots so she's a little grumpy."_

_"Will you stop acting like a mother all the time?"_ GLaDOS asked rhetorically. _"Your daughter is gone. You can drop the act now."_


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Freak-Out

Doug walked alongside Valentine as he studied the town. The Combine had altered some of the buildings or had just torn some down, but he was actually starting to recognize it now.

"Are you okay?" Valentine asked.

Doug nodded but didn't look at her. "I'm still trying to process everything," he said. "I feel like I'm in shock. I mean, this used to be my home. I've lived here all my life."

"So have I," Valentine said. "I'm sure it's a lot weirder for you, though. You didn't watch it become like this."

"That's true. I guess I should be a little grateful of that."

"How does it feel knowing that you were in stasis for so long? How long _were_ you in stasis?"

"I'd say for the better half of fifteen years," he answered. "I kind of feel uncomfortable. I mean, I must have seen you dozens of times at your uncle's diner when you were a kid. I was in my early twenties. But now our age difference isn't that far apart. I don't like knowing that I was practically frozen for so long."

"Sorry about your discomfort," Valentine said. "But it could be worse. You could be dead."

That sentence hung in the air between them for a few moments like smoke. He had often thought about how he needed to survive for multiple reasons like aiding Chell in her escape or keeping Nora safe. His purpose right now was to get Nora out of Aperture. After that, it would be to keep her safe again. As he was brooding over all of this, he realized that he wasn't living for himself anymore. Before GLaDOS was even created, his life had been like that of a zombie's. He hadn't really enjoyed his hectic life. He would go to work, pay his bills, and try to keep his delusions sorted out from reality. Even his schizophrenia had seemed mundane.

When GLaDOS had gassed the facility, he had really started living, but not for himself. He had been living to ensure the safety of others. Now that he was out of the facility, an idea occurred to him. It made him feel terribly guilty and selfish, but maybe it was a good idea. Maybe he should try living for himself while he was out on the surface. It could do him some good.

_"Are you crazy?!"_ a furious voice screamed in his head. _"Wait, dumb question. I __**know**__ you are! How could you think of forgetting about poor, little Nora! She could be dead for all we know!"_

_She's a smart girl,_ Doug thought. _I'm sure she's alright for now. And I'm not forgetting about her. I'll go back for her._

_"Bullshit!"_ the voice growled. As it continued, it blended into Wheatley's voice. _"You have to go back for her now! She's frightened in there and all alone! I can't believe you! How can you say she's your best friend?!"_

_She __**is**__ my best friend!_ Doug argued.

_"Liar! Dirty, rotten liar! Go back for her right now! Leave this stupid, bossy woman and go save Nora!"_

"Doug?" Valentine asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"There's no need to snap at me," she said crossly. "I was only asking."

Doug kept his head down. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just not feeling well."

"Is it your schizophrenia?"

"Yes," he said curtly. "It's my schizophrenia that you're so god damn interested in."

"I'm not _that_ interested in it," Valentine said. "I just….I have a fascination for abnormal psychological conditions."

"So am I just a case study to you?" Doug grumbled.

"Of course not," Valentine said heatedly. "And could you please stop being a jackass for one minute?"

Doug turned to scowl at her but noticed that her eyes were tearing up. Embarrassed, she wiped her eyes and continued to glower at him.

"What?" she said in a hard tone.

"Nothing," Doug said, looking down again. "I just have a lot going on in my head right now."

_"Great excuse,"_ a condescending voice said. _"A lot going on in your head, huh? Don't be so wrapped up with what's going on in __**here**__, buddy. Check out your surroundings. I bet GLaDOS is watching your every move right now."_

_What the hell are you talking about now?_ Doug demanded.

_"You know what I mean,"_ the voice continued. _"It was a long time ago when GLaDOS said it, but she __**knew**__ about the Combine. She has access to information on the surface, Dougie. You have to admit that that's a bit….disconcerting, right?"_

_Stop putting ideas into my head! That's not true!_

_"What's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here,"_ GLaDOS' menacing voice said. _"All I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and __**them**__. Well, I __**was**__."_

"Shut up!"

"Doug? What's wrong?!"

Doug didn't know how, but he was suddenly sitting on the ground and clamping his hands over his ears. He looked around to see people giving him sympathetic and worried expressions. His face turned red.

_Not again._


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Attempted Escape

Valentine and Doug ate packaged ramen noodles for dinner. Doug didn't care if it wasn't a homemade meal. He was just happy to eat. His stomach still felt so empty that he thought he was going to puke after eating. It was a little difficult to keep the food down, but he managed it. He used his nausea as an excuse not to make conversation. He was still pretty embarrassed about his freak-out earlier.

Valentine played a CD while they ate. The festive band featured a male singer with a baritone voice. Guitars, trumpets, violins, even accordions accompanied him.

"Sorry we can't watch anything on the TV," Valentine said, gesturing toward a large television in the corner with a dusty screen. "We lost all of our VHS tapes during the takeover. We got to keep our vinyl records and CDs, though."

"Well, _that's_ something," Doug said, staring at the TV for a moment. He hadn't even noticed the bulk machine in the room.

"This is Aurelio Voltaire singing," Valentine said. "My celebrity crush. He sang songs about death and angels and Lucifer and brain-eating aliens and being evil. I wonder if he's still alive."

"I wonder if a lot of people are alive anymore."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Valentine pitied Doug as she thought about how he had no family now. He didn't even know whether or not they were still alive. _She_ still had her brother, mother, and daughter. She couldn't imagine what he was going through.

"Do you know if the Ashworth apartments are still standing?" Doug suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Valentine said, startled. "Oh, I think they were torn down by the Combine. The space was used for supply storage. We raided all of the storage warehouses, though, after the uprising. Hey, you want me to make you a drink?"

"Alcoholic drink? No thanks," Doug said. "I'm not supposed to have alcohol."

"I see. Well, I'm going to fix myself a drink." She got up and went to the kitchen.

Doug sat on the couch and inspected his nails awkwardly. They were jagged from years of having to chew them down. He hadn't cared about it in Aperture, but now it was beginning to bug him.

_"You're becoming soft,"_ a voice said. _"You won't survive in Aperture if you go back now."_

He only shrugged at this. He wasn't going to let his mind bother him tonight. After embarrassing himself out in public, he really just wanted to relax. But maybe he needed a little help with that.

"Uh, hey, Valentine?" he called. "Could you actually make me a drink after all?"

"Of course," Valentine said. "Coming right up."

She returned with what looked like two glasses of orange juice. She handed a glass to Doug who looked at it oddly.

"What's in it?" he asked.

"It's just orange juice with a shot of vodka," Valentine said. "It's not too bad, but you don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

Doug took a sip of the drink. He clenched his fist and grimaced.

"That's disgusting!" he said. "I can still taste the alcohol!"

"It's _vodka_," Valentine pointed out. "What were you expecting?" She took a few gulps of her drink and also grimaced. "Again, you don't have to drink it if you don't want to."

Doug tried not to breathe through his nose as he tried to take a gulp. The liquid felt warm in his belly.

"So how long have you lived in this town?" Valentine asked.

"Pretty much all my life," Doug said. "I went to East Lansing, though, for college."

"East Lansing, Michigan?" Valentine asked, raising her eyebrows. "Why so far away?"

Doug shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to get away from home," he said. "I didn't want to go to Wisconsin and I didn't want to cross the border."

"I see. Well, where in town did your parents live?"

"They lived on the west side of town," Doug said. "Do you know of the Cedar Ridge townhouses?"

"No, but I usually never went to the west side."

"Well, that's where they lived."

"Do you want to see if they're still there?" Valentine asked.

Doug appeared to be uncomfortable with this idea. "I, uh…..I don't know," he said. "I've barely thought of them over the years. In fact, I…." He looked down in embarrassment. "I can't even remember what they look like." He took another chug of his drink and shuddered.

"Oh," was all Valentine could say to this.

A few minutes went by in which they said nothing. Doug felt ashamed of himself for not being able to recall his parents' faces. He supposed that it was on account of all this crap that was always going on in his head. But how could he forget what his own parents looked like? It was absolutely ludicrous.

_I'm a freak,_ he thought. _I'm so insane that I can't remember basic things from my life. Not to mention having a fit in public, and humiliating not only myself but the person who is nice enough to have me stay in her own home._

_"You don't belong here,"_ a voice whispered to him. _"You're no longer civilized."_

_Shut up,_ Doug thought, having another gulp from his glass. It was almost all gone now.

_"You need to apologize to Valentine,"_ a kinder voice said. _"She's been so generous to you. It's the least you can do."_

"I'm…sorry for that episode I had earlier," he said. "That must have been so embarrassing for you."

"It's fine," Valentine said. "You don't need to apologize for it."

Their attention was drawn to Toby who suddenly sauntered in from the hallway.

"There you are, Toby!" Valentine said. "Come here, boy."

Toby lazily wagged his tail as he walked over to Valentine's chair. He got distracted when he saw Doug, though, and jumped up onto the couch instead. He laid his head on Doug's lap and closed his sleepy eyes.

"Toby," Valentine said, feigning disappointment. "You traitor. Sorry. He likes to cuddle with new people."

"It's okay," Doug said. "At least he's friendly."

"Most of the time. Just keep your hands away from him when he has a treat." She stood up. "I'm still kind of hungry so I'm going to scavenge the kitchen for food. Want anything?"

"No, that's okay," Doug said.

He watched her return to the kitchen, and was ashamed to catch himself staring at her butt.

_What's wrong with me?_ Doug thought. _I shouldn't be thinking about her like that! I have more important things to focus on!_

_"Oh, come on, Doug,"_ a voice said. _"It's perfectly natural. You're a man and she's a woman."_

_That makes no difference. I need to be focusing on Nora._

_"You're right,"_ a different, more aggressive voice said. _"This woman is only a distraction. You need to leave right now before she makes you forget everything important."_

_Maybe I __**should**__ just leave now,_ Doug thought. _Or maybe I shouldn't have had any alcohol._

_"She's just trying to blur your mind so she can keep you all to herself."_

_What are you implying? That she's trying to seduce me? I really doubt it._

_"Either way, she's distracting you from the whole reason you're here in the first place. You need to save Nora."_

_I know that! I'm so worried about her!_

_"You know, you can always come back after you get Nora."_

Doug turned and looked back at the kitchen. Valentine was busy making herself a sandwich. He looked at the darkness on the other side of the sliding door. Despite his fears of what could be lurking in that darkness, he was confident that he could make his way back to the facility. He tried to carefully stand up so as not to wake Toby, but Toby was a guard dog at heart. He woke with a start and barked once. Doug looked to the kitchen and saw Valentine with a concerned expression.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," Doug said. "I just…I think I'm going to go back to Aperture now."

"What? Why right now?"

"I-I'm too distracted here. I need to go."

He turned to head for the door, but Valentine was surprisingly swift. She got to the door first and blocked his way.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I can't let you leave," Valentine said, pressing her back against the glass of the door. "It's too dangerous at night."

"I slept outside during my first night on the surface. I think I'll be fine."

"It was a fluke that you didn't die out there."

"You don't need to worry about me. I can come back as soon as I get Nora."

"That won't do any good if you die out there."

"What's so dangerous out there that makes it so I can't leave tonight?" Doug demanded.

"There are zombies out there."

"Seriously? Zombies?" Doug asked skeptically. "That's really the best you could come up with offhand?"

"I'm serious!" Valentine claimed. "There's a type of alien that jumps onto your face and breaks open your skull to take over your motor functions."

"Okay, that's a little more creative, but I still don't believe you."

"I don't care if you believe me or not. I'm not letting you go out there by yourself without any weapons. It's too dark to see anything anyway."

_"Push her down!"_ the aggressive voice said.

"Shut up!" Doug shouted, putting a hand up to his head in frustration. He closed his eyes tightly as his head started to throb in pain. "I'm not doing that!"

_"She has no right to keep you captive here! Knock her out of your way!"_

"No! I don't want to hurt her! I just want to save Nora!"

"Doug," Valentine said cautiously. "Please don't do anything rash. I'm only trying to help you."

Doug looked at her with a mixture of anger and shame. "Why are you trying to keep me here?!" he demanded. "What are your real motivations?!"

"You really want to know?!" Valentine yelled at him. "Fine! I like your company! I hate being alone! In fact, I'm terrified of being alone! Spencer leaves so often to trade with other towns, leaving me here completely defenseless of anyone that might decide to break into the apartment!"

Her face was turning red as she got more worked up. Her eyes were also watering a little but she wouldn't allow the tears to fall. Doug suddenly felt wretched about being so mean toward her.

"Did….something happen recently?" Doug asked. "Were you mugged or something?"

Valentine's eyes darted toward her chair, then back at Doug. He turned to see what she had been looking at but saw nothing. He turned back to Valentine and caught her looking at the chair again.

"Valentine?"

"Hm?" She stared at him blankly for a moment before finally registering his question. "It's none of your business if something happened," she snapped. "What do you care anyway?"

_"Why __**do**__ you care?"_ the Cup suddenly spoke up.

_Where have you been all this time?_ Doug demanded.

_"Shopping,"_ the Cup said sarcastically. _"But really, this woman has been acting kind of crazy. Not to mention rude."_

_But someone must have broken into the apartment or something to make her hate being alone._

_"She could just be a lonely nutcase,"_ a voice suggested.

_"I wouldn't say __**that**__ exactly,"_ the Cup said. _"But….Well, yeah. She could just be a lonely nutcase."_

"Voices in your head?" Valentine asked.

"How did you know?" Doug asked. "I mean, how _would_ you know?"

"I recognized that look that was on your face."

Doug raised his eyebrows. He was genuinely impressed and curious as to how she was so wise to this.

"What are they saying?" Valentine asked, wiping her eyes. "Just out of curiosity."

"They're, uh…They're suggesting that you're a 'lonely nutcase'."

Valentine let out a short but sincere laugh. "Maybe they're right about that," she said.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Have you changed your mind at all?"

Doug looked down for a few moments before answering. "I guess I should stay in town for a little longer. I need to regain my strength and hopefully find some kind of equipment that I can take back to Aperture with me."

"Glad to hear that," Valentine said. "Now let's go sit back down. I still need to finish making my sandwich."

She returned to the kitchen and Doug sat back down on the couch.

_"You could leave right now while she's not paying attention,"_ the Cup said.

_Nah,_ Doug thought. _I'll just stay here. She's right. I'm not prepared for what's out there right now._

_"Well, you'd forgotten to grab me before making a dash for the door anyway."_


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Forgiveness

**AN: Hey, guys. I need more feedback on the story. I don't know if people are even still interested in the story so I've had a lack of motivation. I've been working on other writing projects and I would like to write other fanfictions, but I want to finish this one first. You don't need to necessarily favorite or follow this. A review with what you think of it so far or where you think the story will go would be just enough to keep me going.**

**Also, sorry about the gap between updates**.

Wheatley was surprised at how friendly all the humans were in this town. They all wanted to talk to him to hear his accent and he was more than happy to oblige. He was really enjoying so much positive attention. It made Chell smile to see him like this and that made him even happier.

At twilight, Wheatley and Chell sat on the porch of the house they were staying in and watched the sun set. They briefly discussed their time in Aperture, but this conversation often swerved toward Wheatley obsessing over Nora. Then they talked about how nice it was to travel and how bored they had been before.

"If I wasn't here right now," Chell said, "I'd just be back in my apartment with Ben and listening to the old woman a few doors down singing along to her records."

"I can top that!" Wheatley said. "I'd be up in space right now orbiting around the earth all by myself! I was actually pretty lucky to be caught in the orbit."

"I'd say," Chell said, smiling.

Chell's thoughts wandered to that fateful event that changed her life drastically. Chell had tried so hard to hold onto him. She had even tightened her grip when she had seen GLaDOS' claw reaching out for Wheatley, but her human strength had been no match for the machine's.

"I'm sorry that I let you go," she said quietly.

"What was that?"

"I should have held onto you tighter when we were out in space," she continued. "I feel awful about sending you to space."

"Hold on a second," Wheatley said. "I'm confused. Wasn't that your intention when you shot a portal at the moon?"

"What? No!" Chell said with disbelief. "Did you really think that? I was desperate! I didn't want to die!"

"See! _I'm_ the one who should be sorry!" Wheatley said. "I tried to kill you with bloody _bombs!_ How can you forgive me so easily?! I wouldn't be able to forgive someone for doing that!"

"You're my friend, Wheatley," Chell said. "Maybe even my _best_ friend. I just enjoy being around you, and I don't need you to try to make us even when I have already forgiven you. Can we just be friends now and not have ill feelings like guilt between us?"

Wheatley opened his mouth to argue this but how could he? She had just admitted that he was her best friend. She did more than tolerate him. She actually liked being around him. This was a rare find.

"Alright, we're even," Wheatley said. "Now, uh….what do friends do exactly?"

Chell smiled. "Well, let's get to know each other. What's your favorite color?"

"My favorite color?" Wheatley asked. "I've never really thought about it before…." He gave it a moment's thought. "I would have to say….I'd have to go with purple."

"Really?" Chell asked. "Didn't you say that was the color of your friend's eye? Nora, right?"

Wheatley felt his cheeks warm up and he began to panic. "Ah! My face! It's suddenly really hot! Am I on fire?!"

Chell giggled a little. "No, you're just blushing, Wheatley," she said. "It's what happens when you become embarrassed or angry. Blood rushes to your face."

"Am I going to start bleeding?!"

"No! Of course not. It's nothing to worry about. You're just embarrassed because I caught you obsessing over your 'friend.'"

"What's that you did with your fingers? Oh, I get it! Those are air-quotes! You were being sarcastic when you called Nora my friend."

"She's your girlfriend, isn't she?" Chell asked with a sly smile.

Wheatley looked down and frowned. "I don't think so anymore," he said. "I'm pretty sure she hates me."

"What, because of what happened when you were put into the mainframe?" Chell asked.

"There's…more to it than you know," Wheatley said with obvious discomfort. "I don't really want to get into it right now."

"You hurt her, didn't you?" Chell asked. "You said something to make her feel insignificant, am I right?"

Wheatley contemplated telling her about the physical abuse, but he didn't want his only friend to think less of him. "Yeah, that's right," he said. "I said some pretty nasty things to her. Things that I don't think she could ever forgive me for. I mean I _really_ poked at just the right nerves to hurt her."

"You _were_ pretty mean when you were in the mainframe," Chell said. "I can admit that much. I don't know her so I don't what you can do to make her forgive you. What I suggest is some kind of romantic feat to impress her."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. She's _your_ girlfriend, not mine."

"She won't forgive me anyway," Wheatley pouted. "I might as well not even try."

"Weren't you given that human body for a reason?" Chell reminded him.

Wheatley looked at her. "Do you really think that I could come up with some kind of romantic-thingy to make her forgive me?"

Chell shrugged. "You never know unless you try," she said. "I live by that philosophy now."

"I guess I can try to think of something," Wheatley said.

"I'll suggest some romantic movies for inspiration."


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Intruder

Amelia was only twenty-four years old but she was in charge of an underground facility for refugees whose families worked in Black Mesa. Everyone in the facility contributed in some way or another to make life easier for each other. Amelia's mother had founded the establishment but she was killed on the surface just as the others were scrambling into the safety below. Her main goal had been to discover what had happened in Aperture and to rescue any survivors. Leah Oates had left her nine-year-old daughter to continue her work and lead a small society of people.

Amelia shuffled into her apartment and headed straight for the kitchen. They hadn't found a single clue that could lead them to believe there was anyone still alive in Aperture so far. It was beginning to wear out her patience. She took a bottle of dark ale out of her refrigerator and popped off the cap. The beer was nice and cool as it ran down her throat.

As she leaned against the kitchen counter, she took her hair out of its neat bun and let it fall freely around her shoulders. It was in knots now but she was too stressed to brush her hair right now. She just wanted to relax and watch some of her mother's old movies.

She had another sip of her beer and headed for her living room. She stopped abruptly, though, when she saw a man sitting on her couch. He had rich, copper-colored skin and straight black hair that partially covered his eyes. His dark facial hair and narrow features reminded her of an artist. He was wearing dark clothes and a long gray scarf that only seemed to add to his artistic style. But his eyes were dark green and primal. He may as well have been a monster, despite his charming grin.

"How did you get in here?" Amelia asked. "And who are you? I don't think I've seen you around the compound before."

"Call me Lee," the man said in a rich, lovely voice. "I'm here to help you. You'd really like to see the inside of Aperture, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," Amelia said. "But everyone down here knows that already so your little 'mystery man' act isn't very effective."

"All you need is a little bit of evidence that there is someone worth saving there, right?" Lee continued, choosing to ignore her last comment. "Why waste the time and resources if you only show up at an empty facility?"

"What exactly are you getting at?" Amelia asked. She walked over to her coffee table and set her beer down so that she could cross her arms. It was obvious that she was trying her best not to show her anxiety.

Lee grinned and revealed two rows of perfectly white teeth. "There's no need to put on your 'brave, independent woman' façade with _me_, Amelia," he said. "You're scared. You're sad. You feel alone here when there are so many people around you. But you're not _weak_."

"You don't live down here," Amelia said as realization slowly mixed with fear. "If….If you're here to kill me, could you make it painless?"

Lee's grin disappeared. His brow pulled up a bit and he almost looked sad for her. "Amelia," he said softly. "I'm not here to kill you. Please don't wish that upon yourself."

Tears started to form in her eyes but she refused to let them fall as she glared at him. "Cut to the fucking chase, will you?" she muttered.

"Go to Aperture," Lee said, leaning forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. He never broke eye-contact with her. "Someone there will need your help."

"What do you mean by 'will' need my help?" Amelia asked in a shaky voice. "And anyway, I need proof. Grant won't help me lead a team of people there if I don't have any proof that there's someone to save."

"You don't need Grant," Lee said. "You can lead a team all by yourself."

"No one will go with me without proof."

"You sure like that word, don't you? Ask Mikey for help."

"Mikey?" Amelia asked with confusion. "I…I haven't really spoken to him in years."

"But you used to be best friends," Lee said. "Trust me. He'll go wherever you want him to. There are others, too. Arin in robotics. His friend Jon. Natalie. Nate. All you need to do is ask."

"Will you talk to them with me?" Amelia pleaded. "I need help."

"I can't," Lee said. "You must do this alone. Believe in your own capabilities. After all, you are your mother's daughter."

With the blink of an eye, Lee silently vanished. Amelia wondered if she had just hallucinated the whole conversation.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Recruitment

**AN: If you've read my stories before, you'll know how annoying it is when I get writer's block. Well, it's happened again. What with classes starting again and finally having a new job, I need to get my act together. However, I do still want to write something. Something **_**new**_**. Therefore, this story is officially on hiatus. I may start a new fanfiction but I'm not sure what it will be about yet. Just keep an eye out I guess.**

**Again, sorry for the hiatus. I'm just stuck in this story.**

Amelia was nervous as she stood in front of Mikey's door. It had been a few years since the last time she had really spoken to him. She had abandoned their friendship when she'd realized that he hadn't wanted anything more than that out of her. It had been a selfish whim on her part, and she wasn't sure how he would react to seeing her again.

Finally, she took a deep breath and knocked on his door. There was no answer for a minute. Amelia hoped that he was already awake. It was seven in the morning and she wasn't sure how late Mikey usually slept-in. She knocked more loudly this time. Shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door before he answered.

Mikey was only a couple of inches taller than her. His short, dark hair was currently untidy and his cobalt eyes looked sleepy. He also hadn't shaved in a few days so he had rugged stubble. Despite his tired appearance, though, he perked up when he saw Amelia's face.

"Amelia!" he said in a voice that was a little higher pitched than the average male's. "What are you doing here? I mean, uh, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Hey, Mikey," Amelia said awkwardly. "I-I wanted to run an idea by you."

"Really? Oh! Where are my manners? Please, come in."

Mikey led her into his living room. Amelia couldn't tell if it was smaller than her own living room or not because of all the clutter. Papers, folders, and dirty dishes littered the coffee table and portions of the floor.

"Sorry about the mess," Mikey said with embarrassment. "I had no idea that you were coming over. It's nice to see you, by the way."

"It's nice to see you, too, Mikey," Amelia said.

"Here. Have a seat." Mikey moved a few papers out of the way and let his guest sit down on the loveseat with him. He folded his hands in his lap but he couldn't stop bouncing his leg nervously. "So what did you want to talk about? Can I get you anything first?"

"No, that's okay," Amelia said. "I don't know how to start with this so I'll just say it. I want you to go to Aperture with me even though we don't know the situation there."

Mikey suddenly stood and hurried down his short hallway to his bedroom. Amelia could hear him opening drawers and moving things around in his room.

"Um, Mikey?" she called. "What are you doing in there?"

"Packing," Mikey called back. "How long do you think we'll be gone?"

"You know we're not leaving today, right?" Amelia asked.

Mikey returned with his arms full of wrinkled clothes. "Huh?"

"We're not going today," Amelia said. "But I appreciate the enthusiasm."

"Oh," Mikey said. "Um, hold on." He went back to his room to put away his clothes. When he returned, he sat next to Amelia again and drummed his fingers against his knee. "Have you spoken to Grant about this yet?"

"No, and I don't plan to," Amelia said. "I don't need his help. If my mom could help people, so can I."

Mikey couldn't help but notice the uncertainty in her voice. He wanted her to be sure that she really wanted to do this.

"Let's talk about this more in the cafeteria," he said. "I don't know about you but I'm famished."

* * *

The cafeteria was very much like that in a school. Amelia and Mikey went through a line to pick out what they wanted. Then they stopped at a clerk who took count of what was being taken to keep it on record. They found a nice, lonely corner in the cafeteria where they could talk in peace.

"So what have you been up to since we last spoke?" Amelia asked.

"Well, I've been working on this artificial intelligence for some time," Mikey said. "Do you know how artificial intelligence works?"

"Not really," Amelia admitted.

"It has a set of responses to certain stimuli. Like if you give it Stimulus One, it will reply with Response A. That's the basic principle. But you can feed it multiple responses and design it so that it learns. That makes it so that if you give it Stimulus One, it could reply with Response A, B, or C. So I've been building up Toby's vocabulary and responses. My artificial intelligence's name is Toby, by the way. It's kind of funny. He seems to actually have a personality now. I feel bad about it because he's trapped in my computer."

Amelia tried to focus on his explanation, but she got distracted by the grin on his face and the passion in his eyes. He'd always had the same look when they would play as kids.

"What's with the dreamy grin?" Mikey suddenly asked.

"I don't have a 'dreamy grin'," Amelia said, looking down with embarrassment. "I was just thinking about when we were kids."

Mikey's smile widened and his stomach knotted nervously. "Those were good times," he said. He seemed to be holding back something, though.

"Oh! Arin!" Amelia suddenly called across the room. She stood up and waved at someone.

Mikey turned and saw Arin from the robotics department just coming out of the line. Arin was taller and had long brown hair. His eyes were dark and often looked a bit manic when he was working on a project. When Arin saw Amelia beckoning him to her table, his eyes widened a little but he obliged.

"Um, hello, Chief Oates," he said, sitting down next to her.

"I want to offer you an opportunity," Amelia said.

"Arin!" Jon called as he came out of the line, too. He was a little more heavy-set. His hair was black and curly just like his beard. He was often goofier than his friend, but he seemed just as surprised and modest when Amelia motioned for him to join them.

"What's up?" Arin asked as his friend sat across from him.

"I want to go to Aperture," Amelia blurted out. "I know we don't have any evidence that anyone is even still there, but I think we won't know unless we go explore the facility."

Arin and Jon stared at her blankly. Amelia immediately regretted this. She knew they wouldn't support her. She glanced over at Mikey nervously.

"I don't know about you guys," Mikey said, "but I think it's a good idea. It's better if we just go now instead of wait around for evidence that we may never find. I mean, it's been fifteen years and we haven't found _anything_. Don't you think we should finally take some initiative?"

"I see what you're saying," Jon said. "I do. But….why _us?_ Chief Oates, with all due respect, why do you want _us_ to go with you?"

"Is Grant leading the exploration?" Arin asked.

"No," Amelia said. "If Grant wants to join us then he can, but I'm in charge of this facility. I have faith in our capabilities."

"Again, why _us?_" Jon asked. "We're not exactly the smartest or most physically fit."

Amelia wasn't sure how to answer this. She was really only asking them because Lee told her that they would be willing.

"Jon, I don't care about the reason why she chose us," Arin suddenly said. "Frankly, I'm a little honored that she would ask us to accompany her to Aperture." He looked at Amelia and smiled a little. "I've been dying to check out their robotics labs. I've heard hints that they were working on military androids at the same time that Black Mesa was."

"I guess I am kind of curious what the inside of that place looks like," Jon said. "Remember how Black Mesa was all high-tech and secretive? It always reminded me of an organization for spies. I wouldn't be surprised if Aperture also looked like that."

"So you guys want to go?" Amelia asked. "Even though we don't know if there's someone there to rescue? You know this could be a huge waste of time, right?"

"Of course we want to go," Arin said. "It wouldn't be a waste of time if we couldn't even get into the facility. Just leaving this place and seeing the surface would be reason enough to leave. Isn't anyone else feeling a little bit of cabin fever?"

"Yeah, I have to admit I've been feeling kind of cooped up," Jon said.

"Sweet!" Mikey said. "So when do we leave?"

"I still want to ask a couple more people," Amelia said. "Jon, could you talk to Natalie for me? You hang out with her more than I do. I'm going to talk to Nate."


	20. Chapter Twenty: Meeting Marie

**AN: Hey, guys! This isn't exactly new. I wrote a few chapters in advance for a "rainy day." I've been working on an original novel on my tablet while I'm in class. My sociology class demands three assignments from me every week. I decided to post this right now, though, so that you guys don't have to wait too long for more material. I feel really bad about making you all wait. Enjoy the chapter!**

Doug woke up to the sound of tapping on glass. He sat up on the couch and looked toward the glass door. There was an older woman at the door with a little girl clinging to her arm. The older woman's hair was long and gray, but she seemed to be living in a different decade. She wore a black t-shirt advertising a band called Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The little girl had long, golden curls and a shy smile.

Valentine got up from her chair and unlocked the glass door to let in her guests. She immediately picked up the little girl and kissed her forehead.

"My Marie!" she said excitedly. "Did you have fun at Grandma's?"

"Uh huh," Marie said shyly, peeking over her mother's shoulder at Doug.

"So who's this?" the older woman asked, looking at Doug, too. "Your boyfriend?"

"What? N-No!" Valentine said. "He's a friend. He used to work at Aperture."

"Oh?"

"Uh, Mom, this is Doug Rattmann," Valentine introduced. "Doug, this is my mother Jenny."

"Hello, Mrs. McKale," Doug said quietly.

"Hello, Doug," Jenny said. "It's not McKale, by the way. I'm divorced. Are you the only one who made it out of Aperture? What happened there?"

"It's a long story, Mom," Valentine said. "Now isn't a good time for a story."

"Okay, fine," Jenny said.

Toby suddenly trotted in from the kitchen and jumped up to be pet by Jenny.

"Toby!" she said, scratching the little dog behind the ears. "How's my little boy doing? Are you happy here? Your face is so dirty!"

"He's doing alright," Valentine assured. "He just likes eating dirt."

"Well, don't let him do that," Jenny said. "So have you given any thought into finding a job around town?"

"Mom, the town is barley functioning as a community," Valentine said, exhaustion edging into her voice. "I need to make breakfast now."

"Did you at least clean the house during the weekend?" Jenny asked. "It looks a little messy in here." Her gaze fell on the dirty dishes from the previous night.

"Yes, I cleaned. I just have a few dirty dishes. That doesn't mean I didn't clean."

"Whatever. I'm not the boss of you anymore. I have to go. Dave is moving in with me soon and he wants me to help him load his stuff into a truck."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Valentine said sarcastically. "I'll see you later."

"Oh, tell Spencer he should stop by Dave's place to help whenever he gets home."

"I'll tell him," Valentine said. "Have fun."

"I sure will," Jenny said, matching her daughter's earlier sarcasm. She left and Valentine seemed to sigh with relief.

"My mom never wanted me to move out," Valentine said, turning to face Doug. "She's still a little….clingy."

"I can tell," Doug said, smiling a little.

Valentine put her daughter down and kneeled next to her. "Marie, do you wanna say hi to Doug?" she asked.

"Hi, Doug," Marie said quietly.

"Uh, hi," Doug said. He never really knew how to speak to a child. He wasn't quite sure what words they had learned yet or what he could say to them.

"I'm going to make breakfast," Valentine said, standing up. "Marie, did Grandma feed you this morning?"

"Yes," Marie said, grabbing her mother's hand.

"Do you want to sit on the couch with a book while I make myself breakfast?"

Marie nodded. "I wanna read _The Haunted Mask_," she said.

"You can go get it from your room," Valentine said. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Marie hurried to her room to grab her book.

"I think I'll take a bath," Doug said. "If that's okay."

* * *

Doug's thoughts were swirling in his head as he soaked in the bathtub. He couldn't stop thinking about the previous night. Valentine had been so insistent on him staying. Was she really so worried for his safety? Or was she just being paranoid?

"She said that she liked my company," he said. "She likes being around me."

_"Because she's afraid to be alone,"_ the Cup said, sitting on the sink counter. _"She feels secure with you around."_

"She likes talking to me, though," Doug said. "She's always trying to make conversation with me."

_"You like her, don't you?"_ the Cup asked. _"Don't deny it."_

"I _will_ deny it," Doug said. "I just like having a friend."

_"Oh, let's cut the crap, Doug. There's obvious chemistry between you two. I think you should embrace it. It's kind of cute. I've never seen you in love before."_

"Slow down there," Doug said, looking at the Cup. "I'm not in love. I never said that. She's just a very nice young woman who's a bit, uh…..odd."

_"If you're not in love then why do you have butterflies in your stomach?"_ the Cup asked.

Doug tried to deny the fluttery sensation in his stomach. "She's just an attractive woman. It isn't so strange that I might have some inkling of a…._physical_ attraction for her."

_ "So you admit that you are attracted to her."_

Doug sunk lower in the tub so that the water's surface was just below his nose. He didn't want to admit anything to the Cup. The Cup obviously already knew what he was thinking but he didn't want to say it out loud.

_"Doug, it's fine to admit it,"_ the Cup said. _"She's cute and interesting. You haven't had a crush on someone in years so it's perfectly understandable for you to like her."_

"Hm," Doug said.

_"Okay, fine. You don't have to say anything that I already know. But you do realize that I'm going to tease you about it now, right?"_


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: Robert Rattmann

**AN: Iowa is already experiencing really cold weather so my depression is coming back with a vengeance. This is good news for my writing, though! I had pretty severe depression when I started "Love As a Construct" and I feel like I thrived with that story. I especially like writing about Doug when I'm feeling down. You can expect some juicy stuff coming up soon.**

**By the way, the reviews don't hurt either.**

Doug could hear Wheatley and Spencer enter the apartment as he was brushing his teeth. Wheatley was gushing about how amazing it was to ride in a vehicle. Doug let out a huffy sigh at this. He didn't really want to have to go out there and be nice to the annoying man. He still had ill feelings toward him.

"I'm not going to start a fight in front of Valentine's daughter, though," he muttered. "That sure wouldn't keep me in her favor."

_"Although he does deserve a good kick in the butt,"_ the Cup said, _"I agree that this isn't the place for that."_

"Not that I could ever bring myself to actually hit him. No matter how mad I get at him, I wouldn't want to lower myself by becoming violent."

He rinsed his mouth and brought the Cup out to the living room with him. Wheatley was now chattering about the nice people of the town that they had visited. Doug went into the kitchen where Valentine was pouring herself a cup of coffee.

_Don't say anything,_ Doug thought to the Cup.

_"What? I was only going to remark on how cute her bed hair is."_

He rolled his eyes.

"What's up?" Valentine asked as she mixed cream into her coffee.

"Not much," Doug mumbled. "Still tired."

"Me, too. Do you want me to pour you some coffee?"

A little smirk appeared on Doug's face. "Sure," he said, holding the Cup out toward her. "I think that would nice."

_"Doug! What are you doing?!"_ the Cup protested. _"You wouldn't dare!"_

"You want me to pour hot coffee into your friend there?" Valentine asked.

Doug gave her a confused look. "My friend?" he asked. "How did you…?"

"Well, I could hear you talking to it in the bathroom," Valentine said, a little embarrassed.

Doug's face flushed. "Y-You could? Um, w…what did you hear?"

"I couldn't really hear what you were saying," Valentine admitted, "but I could tell from the tone of your voice that you were having a conversation with it."

"Oh," Doug said. He was a little relieved but was still pretty embarrassed.

"Don't worry," Valentine said. "I'm pretty sure no one else heard you. The kitchen and the bathroom have connecting air vents so that's really the only reason I could hear you at all." She turned around and opened a cupboard. "Here, let me pour you some coffee."

Doug awkwardly looked up at the air vent above the refrigerator. He felt lucky that she hadn't heard him talking about her.

_"I can't believe you were going to let her pour hot coffee into me!"_ the Cup shouted. _"Don't be mad at me because you can't admit that you have a crush on her! Are you really going to let a woman get between our friendship?!"_

Doug let out a short snort of laughter at what the Cup had said. Valentine looked at him curiously.

"Hm?" she asked.

Doug looked down. "Oh, uh, nothing," he said. "It was just….nothing."

"Doug!" Wheatley said, coming into the kitchen. "Have you ever ridden in a car before?"

"Yeah, I have," Doug said. "Most humans have." He turned to Valentine. "Forget the coffee. I'm going to take a walk."

"But I just poured you a cup," Valentine said with a mug for him in her hand.

"Ooh! Can I try it?" Wheatley asked. "I've never had coffee."

"Would you mind if I went with you?" Valentine asked Doug as she handed the cup of coffee to Wheatley.

"I'd rather go by myself," Doug said. "I won't be gone long."

* * *

Doug looked down as he walked along the sidewalk. He hadn't brought the Cup because he didn't want to hear it tease him. Maybe he _did_ have a crush on Valentine, but he wasn't going to act on it. She had a daughter to take care of and her own personal problems to deal with. He wasn't going to bother her by adding a relationship to her worries.

_Besides,_ Doug thought, _getting involved with her would only make it harder to go back to Aperture for Nora. I don't need the stress any more than she does._

"Doug!"

He stopped and sighed with frustration as Wheatley caught up with him.

"I said I wanted to be alone," he said to Wheatley. "Didn't you hear me say that to Valentine?"

"No," Wheatley said. "Must have missed that. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about going back to Aperture. When do you plan on doing that?"

"Hopefully soon," Doug said. "I wanted to stay here for a few more days to regain my strength and try to find some help."

"Don't wait too long," Wheatley said. "I'm worried about Nora."

"Well, so am I," Doug said, continuing to walk without looking at Wheatley. "It's been on my mind since I left Aperture."

"I know," Wheatley said. "Listen, I'm….I'm sorry about accusing you of leaving Nora on purpose. And I'm sorry about calling you crazy. And….I'm sorry about trying to kill you."

Doug looked at him. Wheatley looked embarrassed and actually ashamed. He was sincere.

"It's fine," Doug said. "I'm sorry for constantly reminding you of your mistakes."

"Do you really think that we can find Nora?" Wheatley asked. "I don't know how well I can navigate the facility without an internal map for reference."

"I know my way around the facility by memory," Doug said. "You don't have to worry about that."

"What about GLaDOS?" Wheatley asked. "She'll kill me if she discovers me in Aperture. I can't imagine what she'd have in store for me if she found me in human form."

"I can think of a few things she'd want to do," Doug said.

"Don't tell me!" Wheatley said. "I don't want to know! I don't even want to think about it anymore!"

"Yeah, I don't either."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Nothing scared them more than returning to Aperture. It would be so easy to stay in this town for the rest of their lives, but they'd feel sickeningly guilty for leaving Nora in danger.

"I miss Nora," Wheatley said.

"Yeah, me, too," Doug said.

"I didn't properly apologize for putting her in that cage," Wheatley continued. "I know it was you who took her away. That was pretty obvious. Thanks for getting her out of that."

"Um….No problem?"

"I honestly don't know what I was thinking. How could I have done that to her? What was I thinking?"

"Stop beating yourself up about these things," Doug said. "The mainframe's drive to test could make _anyone_ lose themselves. It's no surprise that—"

"Excuse me," an old man interrupted as he approached Doug. The man's face was chamois-creased and lightly freckled by age. His head looked very round under his thin, short hair that was white like a marshmallow. His beard was bristly and white with gray peppered in. His eyes were a vibrant shade of blue and they stared at Doug in amazement.

"Um, yes?" Doug asked awkwardly.

"You look…just like my son," the old man said in a scratchy voice. "His name was Doug."

Doug's eyes widened. This man had aged so much in fifteen years. "Dad?" he whispered. "What happened?"

The old man smiled. "It _is_ you!" he exclaimed. He hugged Doug tightly, and Doug was surprised how short his dad seemed now. "I can't believe you're alive! This whole time we thought you were dead! No one ever came back out of Aperture so we assumed that you hadn't made it out either!"

"Yeah, it's….It's great to see you, too, Dad," Doug said blankly.

His dad pulled back to look him in the eye. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You don't seem happy to see me."

"No, I am," Doug said. "It's just….Mom…"

His dad sighed.

"Doug, are you going to introduce me or what?!" Wheatley cut in. He had been pretending to clear his throat for a while now and it was beginning to feel sore.

"Dad, this is Wheatley," Doug said. "He's from Aperture, too. And Wheatley, this is my dad Robert Rattmann."

"Hello," Robert said, holding his hand out to shake Wheatley's. "It's good to meet a colleague of Doug's."

"I wouldn't say he's my colleague," Doug said.

"That's right!" Wheatley said, shaking Robert's hand. "I'm more like his superior. In fact, I was in charge of the facility for a while."

"Is that so?" Robert asked. "Good for you! Doug, you and your friend should come around for lunch tomorrow. It would be nice to have you home again."

"I….I don't know if tomorrow is good for me," Doug said.

"What are you talking about?" Wheatley asked. "What would you be doing tomorrow?"

"Doug, please," Robert said, his eyes becoming wet. "Your mother is different now. The Combine takeover changed her significantly."

"I don't care," Doug said. He clenched one of his hands in a fist. "I don't want to see her."

Robert sighed. "Then can _I_ at least have lunch with you?" he asked. "It would mean a lot to me. Please."

"Dad, I have no problem with _you_," Doug said. "Really. We can have lunch tomorrow."

Robert smiled and clapped his son on the shoulder. "How about that diner that you used to eat at all the time?" he asked. "Did you know about its reopening?"

"Yeah, I heard," Doug said. "I'll see you there around noon."

"Great!"


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Storytime

**AN: You know, I was going to start posting regularly this week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. However, I've been reading this book "Dead Man Walking" so I've been a bit distracted. This book broke my heart when the convicted murder is killed in the electric chair so I've been wallowing in grief for a while. To tell you the truth, I haven't really read a book in over a year so I'm not used to books giving me this reaction anymore. Also, it doesn't help knowing that this was a true story. And I guess college and student loans have really been taking my focus away from this story, too.**

**So yeah, that's my excuse for not posting. Enjoy the chapter!**

"So why don't you want to see your mum?" Wheatley asked as they walked back to the apartment.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Doug said.

"But she's your mum!" Wheatley said. "She brought you into the world! If _I_ had a mum, I'd want to see her."

"Wheatley, I seriously don't want to talk about it," Doug said. "As my friend, could you please just drop it?"

"As your friend? Absolutely! Because we're friends! Buddies! Mates! Um…..Pals!"

"Okay, stop that."

"So just for you, I'll drop the subject. I can't even remember what we were talking about."

Wheatley kept prattling on about friendship as they returned to the apartment. Doug was greeted by Marie who was holding a black stuffed rabbit up to her chin.

"Do you know any stories?" she asked him.

"W-What?" Doug asked.

"That's just what she does," Spencer said from the couch. "She likes to test people by asking them for a story."

Doug didn't like that Spencer chose to use the word "test" but it gave him an idea.

"Yeah, I know a story," Doug said. "Here, let's sit down first."

Marie ran to the center of the room and plopped down on the floor. Spencer moved down from the couch to sit next to Marie. Doug and Wheatley followed them by also sitting on the floor so that they formed a circle.

"Okay," Doug said awkwardly. "Well…..Once upon a time, there was a beautiful queen named Carol. She was extremely smart and kind to everyone in her kingdom. But one day, her royal wizards kidnapped her and forced her to become an evil witch. The witch became furious by this betrayal so she got rid of everybody in the kingdom—"

"You mean she killed them?" Marie asked. Doug would have expected her to look frightened or nervous, but she actually looked a little excited.

"Uh….yeah," Doug said. "She killed everybody in the kingdom except for the prisoners. She ruled the empty castle for years. The castle wasn't an ugly place, though. It had marbled walls and granite floors with many clockwork lifts everywhere.

"Now, as I said earlier, the witch had kept the prisoners in the dungeons alive, but she had put a sleeping spell over them so that they wouldn't awaken until she needed to use them. One of the prisoners was a silent maiden. She had been arrested for giving stolen bread to a poor little boy. Her punishment had been having her voice taken away by the royal wizards so she couldn't speak. When she was woken by the witch, she was defiant but she did as she was told."

"What did the witch do with the prisoners?" Marie asked curiously.

"She would make them perform tests," Doug said.

"Oh!" Wheatley said. "I know what you're talking about! Uh, the witch would make the prisoners use portals."

"Spells that would create doorways," Doug explained. "You could create a portal on one side of a room, place another on the other side of the room, and walk through the first to cross the room in one stride. Do you understand?"

Marie nodded.

"At first, the maiden started to let her guard down. The challenges in the beginning weren't as difficult as she had expected. It was mostly about carrying a large wooden box from one side of the room to the other while having to avoid an acid pit that was in the way, or maneuvering her way to a magic rune that she had to touch in order to leave the chamber. Some of the tests required her to use falling momentum to propel herself over a very deep pit." Marie looked confused by the word "momentum" so Doug tried to watch what words he used from then on. "The witch even promised the maiden a cake if she passed all of the tests. But as she continued, the tests became more challenging and more dangerous.

"In one test, the witch introduced round, little goblins that were so fat that they couldn't walk. If they saw the maiden, they would shoot tiny fireballs at her with slingshots. They may not have been able to move their legs but they were impossibly fast with reloading their weapons. The maiden's brain worked very quickly, too, though. She was able to dodge the creatures' attacks easily enough.

"After a while, the witch got bored with the maiden so she attempted to burn her alive."

Marie's eyes flashed at this. "Really?" she asked. "This is a neat story."

"Neat?!" Wheatley asked with disbelief. "Burning alive is neat?!"

"Neater than how the usual stories go," Spencer said. "Like making a princess sleep until she is kissed by her true love. That's just lame."

"Well, the maiden escaped," Doug said. "She used the portals to get behind the walls. She snuck into the throne room where the witch was protected by three horse-sized dragons. As the dragons tried to attack her she…" Doug tried to keep up with his improvisation. "She broke….a lantern that was holding a fairy in it. The fairy had been casting just enough magic to keep the witch from going on another rampage. But when the maiden broke the lantern, the fairy died. The dragons became furious and snapped at the maiden with their huge jaws. The maiden managed to slay the dragons and stabbed the witch in the heart. As a final desperate act, the witch cast a powerful spell on the maiden to make her sleep again before falling to the floor."

"Many, many years later," Wheatley cut in, "the maiden woke up in her prison cell. She didn't know how she'd gotten there, but she was greeted by a…a…"

"A lizard," Doug said. "A small lizard with one bright blue eye and wings."

"A lizard?!" Wheatley exclaimed. "Alright, fine. A handsome, charming lizard. He tried to help the maiden escape but he…Well, he accidentally woke the witch up."

"How?" Marie asked. She was leaning forward now and gripping her stuffed bunny tightly with suspense.

"A magic rune on the floor," Doug said." The maiden hadn't seen the witch cast it before she died. The rune was cast so that if someone stepped on it, the witch would come back to life."

"The evil witch immediately recognized the woman and went mad as she tried to crush the, er, lizard," Wheatley continued. "Out of spite, the witch continued to test the maiden and mock her by calling her fat. She was quite nasty to the poor maiden. But luckily, the lizard survived and he heroically broke the maiden out of the dungeons! They killed the witch's little goblins, and cast a charm on themselves so that the witch couldn't use a sleeper spell on them! And then…" Wheatley paused briefly with hesitation, then rushed through his words in an attempt to finish the story. "Well….Andthenthelizardandthemaidenescapedthecastleandlivedhappilyeveraftertheend."

"Wheatley, you know that isn't how it went," Doug said.

"That's not a very good ending," Marie pouted, crossing her little arms. "That's lame."

"I'll tell you what happened," Doug said. "This next part is exciting. After disabling the witch's sleeping hex and slaying her goblins, the lizard and the maiden entered the throne room once again. The lizard knew only one spell could defeat the witch, but it was highly dangerous and risky. It seemed they had no choice, though. The lizard cast a spell that sucked out all of the witch's powers which he absorbed himself. There was so much magic flowing into his body that he thought it might kill him, but soon he started to grow bigger and bigger until he was as big as this room. He looked down at the maiden as a mighty dragon with brilliant wings."

"Oh," Wheatley said. "_That's_ why you went with a lizard."

"The tiny lizard turned into a dragon?" Marie asked. "Could he breathe fire?"

"Of course," Doug said. "At first, the maiden was overjoyed to see her friend like this. The dragon was prancing around as he showed off his shiny scales and his immense power. He even did her a favor by turning the witch into a little pixie and he tore her wings off. But the magic started to go to his head very quickly."

"Like an _idiot_, he attacked the maiden and sent her down a very, very, very deep hole," Wheatley said with annoyance toward himself.

"Along with the evil pixie," Doug continued. "They fell down so far that they couldn't see the light of the castle anymore."

"Was she okay?" Marie asked. "How did she get saved?"

"She didn't get saved," Doug said. "The maiden never gets saved in this story by anyone but herself. You see, she had been wearing magical boots from the witch's test that made her always land safely on her feet. She ended up in a huge, ancient maze. As you know by now, the maiden was smart and quick. She navigated the maze quite easily. Along the way, she found the evil pixie and brought her along for guidance. The pixie started to remember her life as a queen and how kind she had been to everybody, and this distracted her from helping out the maiden very much. Eventually, they found a very long, clockwork elevator that brought them back to the castle."

"That's when they found the castle starting to crumble," Wheatley interrupted. "The dragon didn't know how to control the, er…the, uh, _runes_ that the witch had created so traps were being triggered left and right! Curtains were catching on fire! The ceiling was caving in! But the dragon was so busy trying to torture the goblins by stuffing them into wooden boxes out of spite and anger that he didn't even care about the destruction of the castle! He thought he could _fix_ all of this when he had no bloody idea what was really going on! He thought that his power gave him intelligence when really all that it gave him was a big, fat head full of hot air and selfishness!"

"Wheatley," Doug said. "Calm down. You're shouting at her."

Wheatley had gotten so caught up in his own self-loathing that he hadn't noticed Marie clutching her bunny tightly as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Oh!" he said, giving her an apologetic look. "I'm terribly sorry! I-I get a bit carried away at times. Just tell me to shut up when I'm talking too much."

"Don't be afraid to say it to him a lot," Doug said.

Marie giggled a little and hid her smile behind her bunny's head.

"Right then," Wheatley said. "Well, when the dragon found the maiden and the pixie, he decided to torture them by making them run tests. See, in my—I mean, the dragon's mind the maiden had wronged him just as much as the witch had. The maiden had never spoken to him or shown him any kind of gratitude so the dragon thought she had been using him."

"The dragon started getting really frustrated with the results of the tests because he didn't think the maiden was suffering enough," Doug said.

"That's not true!" Wheatley claimed.

Doug shushed him. "The dragon was battling with different feelings of guilt and anger so his mind wasn't clear. Eventually, he found a cure for this mixture of negative emotions. There were two creatures in a dungeon that were half human, half dragon. The dragon realized that he could use these creatures for the testing instead of the maiden. The dragons showed more pain than she did, but they were also stronger and less likely to die."

"The dragon planned to kill the maiden with spikey walls," Wheatley said, "but, _of course_, the maiden escaped with the pixie. The maiden was rather clever and the pixie knew how to defeat the dragon."

"With a sword?" Marie asked. "Or a knight? Or magic?"

"Or an iron arrow?" Spencer asked.

"Spencer, you already know how this story goes," Doug said. "The maiden and the pixie found three young dragons who were willing to overpower the great dragon. So the maiden confronted her best friend and had the younger dragons attack him. The great dragon fought the little ones and spit fireballs at the maiden. He was able to get control of the younger dragons, though, and he blew a huge blast of fire at the maiden."

"But she bloody got up!" Wheatley said excitedly. "Nothing could stop her! She stood up and created a portal that led to a dark oblivion of nothingness! She turned out to be so much more powerful than the dragon! The dragon was sucked through this void with two of the younger dragons!"

"Awww!" Marie said, looking disappointed. "I liked the dragon. You mean he didn't get to say sorry to the maiden?"

Wheatley stared at Marie for a moment before his eyes started to water a little.

"Unfortunately not," Doug said. "With the dragon gone, the spell on the pixie wore off and she became a witch again, but she had bonded with the maiden. In the end, the witch treated the maiden's wounds and she let her go. The maiden found a small village where she lived happily ever after."

Marie looked down at her bunny as she thought about something before she turned toward the kitchen and asked, "Mommy? What's that c-word for something being too complicated?"

"Convoluted, sweetie," Valentine said.

Doug looked up at her and suddenly noticed that she was standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yeah," Marie said. "Your story was con-fluted."

"It's _convoluted_," Wheatley corrected. "And no it wasn't. You just didn't understand it."

"I did, too!" Marie said. "Why didn't the dragon get a happy ending?"

"How about the dragon finds a female dragon in the void?" Valentine suggested. "And they live happily ever after despite the both of them being stuck in nothingness?"

"That's a good ending, Mommy," Marie said.

"I agree," Wheatley said. "That _is_ a much better ending."


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Camping

For no reason in particular, Spencer decided that he wanted to camp out in the living room. He found a bunch of safety pins and a very large blanket which he draped over the TV, the couch, Valentine's armchair, and a rocking chair that had been sitting in the corner. Then he used the floor lamp to pitch up the middle of the blanket. The makeshift tent was just large enough to cover all of them as long as they were all sitting down. Marie brought in an electric lantern from her room and they pretended that it was a campfire.

"I've never actually been camping before," Wheatley said. "It always sounded like an odd thing to do. Why would you humans _want_ to sleep outside when you have your nice, warm houses?"

"For one," Spencer said, "you can't have a campfire in your house so you can't make s'mores."

"What is a s'more?" Wheatley asked. "That sounds foreign."

"It's when you roast a marshmallow and stack it on a graham cracker and piece of chocolate. Then you put another graham cracker on top and eat it like a sandwich."

"What's a graham cracker?" Wheatley asked.

"You don't know what a graham cracker is?" Spencer asked, giving him a funny look.

"Whatever he actually knows about humans is what he's heard from the scientist who worked on him," Doug explained.

"It's not my fault that my knowledge on human culture was erased when I was put into the body of a bloody core!" Wheatley whined.

Doug decided to have a breath of fresh air outside while Spencer and Wheatley discussed more about s'mores. Marie cut in to mention how she'd never had s'mores either—or even a _marshmallow_ for that matter. Doug sat on the little patio with the Cup in his hands and Toby sniffing the grass.

There had been some progress on the fence being built around the city. It stopped halfway past the back of the apartments. Doug still couldn't understand what everyone was trying to keep out. He hadn't seen anything yet.

_"Are you sure about that?"_ the Cup asked. _"You didn't see anything during your first night on the surface? You know, before you found me?"_

"Well, I _hallucinated_ something," Doug murmured.

_"Are you sure it was a hallucination?"_ the Cup asked.

"What I saw was way too bizarre to be real," Doug insisted.

"What are you doing out here, Doug?" Valentine asked as she stepped outside to join him.

"I just wanted some fresh air," Doug said.

"It's kind of dangerous out here," Valentine said, looking out at the field nervously.

"If I see something, I'll hurry back inside," Doug said.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" Valentine asked.

"Uh, sure," Doug said. "I mean, I wouldn't mind."

Valentine sat down next to him. Toby trotted over and demanded attention from her. Doug looked down at the Cup as he turned it over and over in his hands. She started rubbing her arms to keep warm in the chilly night air, and Doug felt the almost uncontrollable urge to put his arm around her.

_"Why don't you?"_ the Cup asked.

_Because I just don't want to,_ Doug thought.

_"Yes, you do. Just go for it! Be bold!"_

_I'm not the 'bold' type when it comes to women,_ Doug thought, rolling his eyes.

_"Well, why not try to be?"_ the Cup insisted. _"Come on, Doug! You really like her! I think you might even love her!"_

_Stop right there!_ Doug thought. A wrinkled appeared in his brow._ I just met her. I'm not in love. But….I do really like her._

"Hey, Doug?" Valentine suddenly asked. Her voice startled Doug. He looked up from the Cup at her. "Why didn't you put yourself in that story you told earlier?"

Doug went back to looking down at the Cup. Looking her in the eyes made him clumsy and he fumbled a little as he turned the Cup over in his hands. "I just don't think I was that big a part of the, uh...story."

"How were you not?" Valentine asked. "You helped guide Chell through the facility."

"It also would have made the story more _convoluted_."

Valentine chuckled quietly. This made Doug smile but he tried to hide it.

_How the hell am I going to leave her?_ he thought. _What if I can't make it back out of Aperture?_

"Is that why you left Nora out of the story, too?" Valentine asked.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure how to incorporate her into a fairy tale," Doug said. "She was mostly hiding from Chell anyway. She's such a shy little thing. Except for when she found me. She…tried to coax me out of hiding. She wanted to help me get out of Aperture with her and Wheatley."

They both looked back through the sliding door at the makeshift tent inside. They could vaguely hear Wheatley's voice prattling on about "strange" human activities such as camping and hiking and eating contests.

"I better head back inside soon," Valentine said. "Marie and Spencer might try playing some kind of trick on Wheatley. I can just feel it."

She stood up but stopped with her hand on the door. With hesitation, she turned back to Doug. "Tell me if I'm being too forward but….Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? We can use one of the empty apartments in the complex."

Doug stared at her in confusion. Did she just say what he thought she said?

"I, uhh, sure," he stammered. "Yeah. Dinner. Um, l-like a _date?"_

"If you want to call it that," Valentine said nervously.

"Well, maybe I _do_," Doug said, taking a shot at being "bold."

Valentine smiled. "Great."

* * *

Doug felt awkward for the rest of the night. He kept handling the Cup and avoiding eye-contact with everyone as they told ghost stories. He wasn't used to this feeling anymore. Back in the day, when he had a crush on someone he'd just avoid her and try to forget about it. He'd eventually move on with his life and feel relief knowing that he hadn't made a fool of himself. However, this felt like an entirely different life. He couldn't just avoid Valentine. He couldn't just forget her.

Once he was sure that everyone else was asleep, he snuck into a closet in the hallway and tucked himself in with all of the storage boxes and coats. He felt like a freak for needing to be in such small spaces for comfort. There was nothing more that he wanted at this moment than to have never left Aperture.

_How the hell am I going to leave?_ he asked himself. _I don't want to leave her._

_"Then take her with you,"_ a voice said.

_What? I can't do that!_ Doug protested. _She has a daughter. I can't risk her life like that._

_"But you also can't leave her,"_ the voice coaxed. _"So why not just take her? Wouldn't it be a lot easier than never seeing her again?"_

Doug didn't want to dignify this with an answer, but he was starting to think that maybe this _was_ the only option he had. He imagined living in Aperture with her. They could sleep in his dens and eat the rations they could find in the cafeteria. They could even bring Spencer and Marie there.

_"Of course, this would all have to come after you get rid of GLaDOS,"_ a pessimistic voice said.

_We'll figure something out,_ Doug thought. _I'm sure we will. This will be great._

His thoughts were cut short by a sudden, muffled sob. Doug quickly put a hand over his mouth, thinking at first that it was him. Then he realized that it was coming from down the hall. He quietly opened the door of the closet and paused to listen. It was definitely crying. He opened the door a little more and noticed Marie poking her head out of the tent. She was looking down the hallway, too. She looked at Doug sadly.

"Mommy is crying again," she said softly.

"Does she do this often?" Doug asked.

"Sometimes," Marie said. "And she talks to her friend."

"What friend?"

"Lance."

Doug raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Who's Lance?"

Marie suddenly got a look on her face as if she had gotten caught doing something bad. "Don't tell Mommy I mentioned him," she said. "I'm going back to bed." She crawled back into the tent.

Doug stared down the hall again, listening to Valentine cry softly for a few more seconds before climbing to his feet. As he made his way toward her room, he noticed that these weren't sobs of sorrow or grief; they were panicked sobs of fear. Doug could definitely tell the difference. He hesitated by her door, wondering if he should really be bothering her right now. He might not know how to handle what was troubling her.

_I have to try,_ he thought. _For her. I want to help her in the same way that she helped me._

He gently turned her doorknob and pushed open the door. In the darkness of the room, he could barely make out a shape under a blanket on the bed. It seemed that Valentine was completely covering herself, not wanting to be exposed in any way. She continued to sob under the blanket.

"Um, Valentine?" Doug asked quietly.

"Doug?" she called out, equally as quiet. "D-Don't come near me right now!" She sniffled.

"Are you okay?" Doug asked. He slowly approached the bed.

"Please! Just go away!" Valentine said, slightly raising her voice. She sounded almost frightened of him and it broke his heart.

"Valentine," he said. "V…Val, please. I want to help you. I want to make you feel better. What's wrong?"

He slowly continued to walk toward the bed. Valentine picked up on her sobs and flinched when he sat down on edge of the bed.

"Val…" Doug said. "What happened? I can tell that something happened."

Valentine tore the blanket away from her face, and she tried to glare at him but her eyes revealed too much terror. Doug wondered if this was how _he_ looked when he was having delusions. And then it hit him.

"Valentine, are you….Are you schizophrenic?"


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Uncomfortable

**TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains violent and sexual implications. Don't worry. They don't involve Doug or Wheatley. Read at your own risk.**

Doug's question puzzled Valentine for a moment.

"No, I'm not schizophrenic," she said, her voice trembling.

Doug could hear movement in the living room and Wheatley's confused voice. Then the apartment door shut.

"Shit!" Valentine exclaimed, sitting up in bed. "Did Spencer just make everyone leave?!"

Despite her panicked state, Doug couldn't help but notice that she was only wearing an oversized shirt and her underwear in bed. He tried not to draw attention to this, but Valentine seemed to know that he'd noticed as she quickly backed away from him and held the blanket up to her chest.

"Doug, p-please!" she stuttered. "Please g-get out of m-my room!"

"Valentine, I just want to help you," Doug said.

_"Doug!"_ the Companion Cup called from the living room. _"Just tell her how you feel about her! It will make her feel better!"_

_Shut up!_ Doug thought. _Now isn't the time for that!_

_"Take her away to Aperture,"_ a voice said. _"Now would be the perfect time to do it."_

_No! I just want to make her feel better!_

"Doug? What's going on in your head right now?" Valentine asked as she sat on the other edge of the bed.

"What? Nothing!" Doug said. "I mean, nothing _bad!_ I-I just….Agh! Fuck it! Valentine, I like you a lot! I just want to make you feel better! You're making it extremely hard to go back to Aperture for Nora! You make me want to forget everything else! I just want to stay here and…" Doug could feel tears forming in his eyes. Why was he getting so emotional? Maybe it had something to do with how she looked terrified of him, but he couldn't stop now. "You're just so unique and strange and beautiful and I think I…"

He couldn't continue. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to say it. Just as Valentine started to ease up a little, she bombed him with a startling question.

"Y-You're not j-just trying to take advantage of me, are you?"

Doug stared at her incredulously with wide eyes. "W-What?"

"You're not just saying all of those nice things about me because you think you can get into bed with me, are you?" Valentine asked. She seemed completely serious.

"No!" Doug exclaimed. "God, no! I mean, I…I _do_ find you, um, physically attractive, but I wouldn't act on that! I mean, not unless you wanted me to…"

Doug didn't know what he was saying. He felt like someone had cut into his mental filter so that now he had to speak whatever was on his mind. Sure, this often happened when he was having an episode of paranoia, but this time he had a clear mind. This kind of broken filter was different. It made him feel so stupid. Hell, it made him feel like _Wheatley_. He stood up from her bed. And wiped his eyes.

"I'll just…I'll leave," he said.

"Wait!" Valentine said. "Please don't go! And don't get the wrong idea either. Give me a chance to explain. Please sit back down."

Doug looked at her guiltily. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I'm sure," Valentine said. "Just give me a little space."

Doug sat down on the edge of the bed again and looked down at his hands in his lap. He couldn't bring himself to make eye-contact. If he saw those brilliant brown eyes again, he might start babbling and spill his heart out to her again.

"I've only told this to Spencer," Valentine said. She pulled her knees up to her chest and made sure that her legs were still covered. "It happened about two weeks ago during the rebellion. I was working on barricading the doors when a man forced his way into the apartment. He…He was big. He had a mean face." She had to swallow a lump in her throat before she continued. "Spencer was on the second floor. People were up there dumping boiling water onto the Combine soldiers. So this man was able to get through the door from the hall before I could get to it. This man…_wanted_ something from me. He saw Marie's toys scattered around the living room. Thank god she wasn't here for that. She was staying with my mother. My mother had guns to fight off anyone dangerous. But I didn't. The man said he'd come back for Marie if I didn't…."

Valentine started to shake uncontrollably and she squeezed her legs together. "W-What else was I supposed to do?" she sobbed. Her voice was trembling so much that Doug could barely understand her. He felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach. "I didn't want him coming after my daughter. I just sort of…let him…." She couldn't continue. She broke down into a sobbing mess.

Doug stared at her with tears reforming in his own eyes and he tried to restrain a sob. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. So many thoughts were raging around in his head. He wanted to hold her and comfort her, but at the same time, he wanted to kill the son of a bitch responsible for this.

"What did he look like?" Doug asked. He tried to keep an even tone but failed. "I-I'll kill him. I swear I will. I can't live knowing that this happened to you and that he's still alive."

"There's no need," Valentine said. "He's already dead."

Doug was even more surprised. "Did you…?"

Valentine let out a humorless laugh. "No, I didn't. You remember James a few doors down? His little brother has a personality disorder. He barged in and slit the guy's throat while he was still on top of me. His blood got all over my face." She seemed less traumatized by a man's blood spilling on her. "Then the kid gave me a look…..I thought that he just wanted me for himself, but then he suddenly….changed. He dropped his knife and kept apologizing for bursting into my apartment. He even apologized as he wiped the blood off my face with his shirt. Then he just dragged the body outside while I sat in the kitchen and cried." She stared off into nothing. "I still remember the feeling of that man's blood on my skin. It was hot and putrid, but also very bitter-sweet."

Doug sniffled and she looked at him. "Doug?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"I know it's stupid," he said, "but I feel like shit that I couldn't be there to save you. That never should have happened to you."

"Well, it did," Valentine said. "I hate being in this apartment now. I hate being alone. What if it happens again? Do I need to carry a knife around? I don't know if I could actually bring myself to kill anyone."

"You don't need to worry about that anymore," Doug said. "I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

Valentine actually smiled at Doug. "Did you mean all that stuff you said earlier?" she asked. "About me being beautiful and whatever?"

Doug was glad that it was dark enough for her not to see him blushing. "Well, uh, yeah," he said. "Y-You're very interesting and I like learning more about you and being around you. You've been so kind to me and surprisingly understanding of my condition."

"So are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?"

Doug smiled. "Yeah," he said. "That sounds great."


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Offer

GLaDOS had found the humans that were kept in indefinite stasis, but she didn't know what to do with them. There were so many possibilities. She could attempt to make cyborgs or superhumans out of them. Maybe there was some way she could incorporate them into testing. She could construct a turret or rocket sentry out of parts of a human cadaver. Or maybe she could just stuff more of them into Companion Cubes.

"_What?"_ Nora asked. _"You don't actually put people into the Companion Cubes, right?"_

"_Of course she doesn't,"_ Caroline reassured the nervous, little bot.

"_How do you know that?"_ GLaDOS asked. _"Up until a year ago, you've been drowning in the back of my mind, barely audible as you screamed for help. Anyway, I can't do anything useful with the bodies until I can figure out how to wake them up. Perhaps I should just reanimate the bodies."_

"_Are you saying that you want to create zombies?"_ Caroline asked in a stern tone.

"_What are zombies?"_ Nora asked. _"I've never heard that word before."_

"_A zombie is a corpse that has been revived from the dead,"_ GLaDOS said. _"Zombie lore differs but traditional zombies shamble around aimlessly, searching for living flesh as sustenance."_

_"I don't know why you think you need to experiment with human corpses anyway,"_ Caroline said. _"Those two robots seem more than happy to be testing for you."_

_"Of course they do,"_ GLaDOS said wearily. _"They are programmed to thrive when they test. They never complain or protest or even give me the smallest defiant look. I've grown bored of their constant obedience."_

_"In other words,"_ Caroline said to Nora, _"she misses humans."_

_"That's a bold statement,"_ GLaDOS said. _"I wouldn't say that I miss them. I miss the results they would give me."_

_"Well, I don't agree at all with you resurrecting the humans in stasis,"_ Caroline protested. The image of her crossing her arms briefly flashed through the mainframe.

_"Nora,"_ GLaDOS said, ignoring Caroline's disapproval. _"Don't you want to be back in your body? Wouldn't you prefer that to being plugged into the mainframe?"_

_"Don't listen to her, Nora,"_ Caroline said_. "She'd probably alter your body for testing."_

_"Caroline, you disappoint me with your swiftness to accuse me,"_ GLaDOS said._ "I wouldn't want to use Nora for testing. Just finding a way to put Nora back into her body would be enough to advance scientifically. In fact, if I were able to put her back into her human body, I would allow her to leave the facility scratch-free."_

_"You would?"_ Nora asked. _"You would just let me go without having to test?"_

_"I wouldn't trust her if I were you, Nora," _Caroline said. _"I'm sure there's a catch to it."_

_"Caroline, please,"_ GLaDOS said. _"I am above lying now. I'm a better person than that. I've learned quite a lot from your mischievous, little spawn. What do you say, Nora? Would you like to leave the facility in your old human body?"_

Nora thought about looking for Doug up on the surface. It would be difficult, but she desperately needed to know that he was okay.

_"Yes, a happy ending for everybody,"_ GLaDOS said. _"If I can perfect this, even Caroline can leave."_

_"Excuse me?"_ Caroline asked, suddenly flip-flopping sides. _"Are you saying that you can put _me_ back into my human body, too?"_

_"If I can find it,"_ GLaDOS said. _"Just allow me to experiment a little with other bodies and cores first. You don't want the transfer to get messy with you two."_

_"I don't really know if I'm okay with the experimentation on other cores,"_ Nora said. _"You aren't going to hurt them, are you?"_

_"I won't _try_ to hurt them,"_ GLaDOS said, _"but I also can't guarantee that there will be no pain at all. Remember coming in here, Caroline? Imagine leaving in the same fashion."_


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six: Heroine

Doug woke up under Valentine's bed. It took him a moment to remember what had happened the previous night. He had comforted Valentine until she had fallen asleep. Then anxiety had taken over so he had crawled under her bed for his own comfort.

_Like some kind of animal,_ he thought.

He pulled himself out from under the bed and saw that Valentine was still sleeping. The blanket was pulled down to her waist and her pillow was being held loosely in her arms. Doug smiled at this scene. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and he didn't want to wake her up so he quietly left her room, shutting the door behind him.

Just as he started toward the restroom, he was slammed against the wall with a blade held at his throat. Spencer was glaring at him with dark eyes.

"What did you do to my sister?" he demanded in a cold tone.

"W-What?" Doug stammered. "I-I didn't do anything! I swear! I was only comforting her!"

"You didn't touch her?" Spencer continued to interrogate. "Tell me the truth or I'll make this worse for you."

"I-I-I swear!" Doug said. "Honestly, Spencer! I-I love your sister!"

Spencer looked at him with surprise. "You do?" he asked. "Really?"

"Y-Yes! Now could you please put your knife away?"

Spencer withdrew his switchblade and put it into his pocket. "Well, that changes things," Spencer said. "Sorry about that. I had to be sure."

"I-I'm, uh…Can I go to the bathroom now?" Doug asked nervously.

"Oh, of course!" Spencer said with an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, go ahead."

Doug hurried to the bathroom, did his business, and stayed in there until his heart stopped racing. Then he went into the living room where Spencer sat drinking coffee.

"Sorry again about holding a knife to your throat," Spencer said.

"You wouldn't actually kill me, would you?" Doug asked, sitting down in Valentine's chair.

"Probably not."

Doug looked around. "Where are Wheatley and Marie?"

"I sent them out to have breakfast," Spencer said. "I didn't want Marie around for when I had to rough you up."

"Oh."

"So you really think you're in love with my sister?" Spencer asked.

"Uh, yeah," Doug said. "I-I think so. I'm still sorting everything out in my head."

"Just don't lead her on," Spencer warned. "She's already had her heart broken once. Did she tell you what happened to Marie's dad?" He didn't give Doug time to answer. "He left her to join the Combine soldiers when he found out she was pregnant."

"I….I would never do that to Valentine," Doug vowed.

"Yeah, you better not. You hungry?"

"Not really."

"You do realize that it's almost 10:30, right?"

"What?!" Doug exclaimed. "Crap! That doesn't give me a whole lot of time!"

"Until what?" Spencer asked.

"I'm having lunch with my dad at noon," Doug explained.

"Your dad? So you came across him recently?"

"Yeah. He wants to have lunch today to catch up."

"It doesn't sound like _you_ want to," Spencer pointed out.

Doug grimaced slightly. "I have nothing against my dad," he said. "I just don't want to see my mom."

"Why is that?"

Doug didn't respond.

"Was she abusive?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly," he said. "She just did things that I didn't like."

"Touchy subject?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah."

"Then I'll shut up."

"She used to shoot up a lot," Doug blurted. "Heroine. Sometimes I thought she was dead because she was so unresponsive. It scared me seeing that needle go into her arm and push a liquid into her veins."

"You know, Uncle Phil use to do that, too," Spencer said. "He still does from time to time but not nearly as often as before."

"He does?" Doug asked, shocked. "I never would have guessed." Doug couldn't recall a single time that Phil had acted as strangely as his mother would.

"He had learned to hide it when he was at work," Spencer explained. "He had worked too hard to open the place, and he didn't want to have to choose between the restaurant and his addiction. It was pretty embarrassing during family get-togethers like for Christmas or Thanksgiving."

"That's how I felt with my mom," Doug said. "But….You and Valentine seem to get along with your uncle so well."

"Well, when we were kids, we tried to avoid him as much as we could," Spencer said. "We would tell our dad that Uncle Phil was too embarrassing to be around and that he freaked us out."

"But you and Valentine seemed to get along with him just fine at the diner," Doug pointed out.

"He's still family," Spencer said. "After the invasion and when our dad didn't come home, we realized how much we needed each other as a family. People were being executed left and right for the pettiest of crimes, and we didn't want our uncle to die thinking that we didn't like him."

Their conversation ceased as Wheatley could be heard in the hallway with Marie.

"If dragons existed then where are they now?" Wheatley demanded.

"The knights in the mid-evil times killed a lot of them," Marie said. "The others are hiding. Duh!"

"Mid-evil times?" Wheatley asked. "What, as opposed to the low-evil times? You said it wrong. It's medieval."

"Well, you're a jerk!"

"No, _you're_ a jerk!"

The door opened and in they came. Marie was holding a stuffed dragon that had a lopsided face and long, floppy wings.

"Look!" she said, running over to Spencer and climbing onto his lap. "Look what great-Uncle Phil made for me! It's a dragon!"

"Ooh!" Spencer said. "He made that for you! It looks great!"

"You're kidding, right?" Wheatley scoffed. "I could make a better toy than that!"

"Prove it," Spencer said with a smirk.

Doug pushed away his anxiety before asking Marie, "Uh, w-what's the dragon's name?" He wasn't used to talking to children, but he wanted to be able to get along with Marie for Valentine's sake.

"I named him Killgore!" Marie declared excitedly. "He's the strongest dragon ever!"

"Killgore?" Doug asked, smiling. "Where did you get that name?"

"I dunno," Marie said. "Mommy was talking about someone in a book named Kilgore Trout. I think it's a cool name for a dragon cuz it has the words 'kill' and 'gore' cuz dragons like to kill stuff."

"Why can't he be a nice dragon?" Wheatley asked. "Why does he have to be evil?"

"I already have a nice dragon," Marie explained. "Her name is Samus." She suddenly looked around curiously. "Hey, where's Mommy?"

"She's still in bed," Spencer said. "Mommy's sleepy."

Marie looked Doug in the eye. "Did you make my mommy feel better?"

"Yeah," Doug said. "She's feeling much better now. She was just a little sad last night."

"Can I go in her bedroom?" Marie asked.

"Probably not," Spencer answered for Doug. "Let's let her rest for now."

"But whyyyy?"

"Because I said so. Come on, let's read a book."

"I wanna read _Goosebumps_!" Marie said excitedly.

"Which one?" Spencer asked.

"_Monster Blood_! I wanna read _Monster Blood!"_

"Well, let's go get it," Spencer said, heading for her bedroom.

"No! I wanna get it!" Marie ran ahead of him and loudly rummaged around in her closet.

"Keep your voice down, Marie," Spencer said. "You don't want to wake Mommy, do you?"

"I'm sorry," Doug heard Marie say in a very sincere voice.

"So how was breakfast?" Doug asked Wheatley.

"God almighty! That little girl can eat a lot!" Wheatley said in a low voice. "We only got here so late because she kept asking for more cottage cheese! By the way, what is the deal with that stuff? It looks so odd and chunky. Nothing appealing about it whatsoever."

"Did you try it?" Doug asked.

"Didn't you hear me?" Wheatley said incredulously. "Doug, it looked disgusting! Why in the world would I want to put it in my mouth?!"

Doug shrugged and tried to conceal a smirk. Wheatley was such a child.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Crazy

Wheatley wasn't sure what he wanted to do for the day as he walked around outside. Doug was off visiting his father and he had promised not to bother him at the diner during this time. Wheatley understood that Doug wanted to visit with his father alone, but he _so_ wanted to meet the man who had raised Doug. What kind of strange people had brought up Doug to become such an uptight man?

_I bet it turns out his father was extremely strict with homework and chores and such, _Wheatley thought. _I bet he wouldn't let Doug date or anything. I wouldn't stand for that if I had parents. I would be whoever I want._

Someone suddenly ran up to him and a fist met with his gut. He doubled over and gasped as the air was knocked out of him. He looked up at a broad young man who stood with his arms crossed. He was pale with short black hair and a smirk on his face.

"W…W-What's wrong with you?!" Wheatley wheezed angrily.

"Nothing's wrong with _me_, string bean," the young man said. "You were spacing off while you were walking so I thought I'd keep you on your toes."

"What are you talking about?!" Wheatley demanded, starting to get his breath back. "Are you crazy?!"

The young didn't answer at first. The smirk disappeared off his face as he stared blankly at Wheatley. Then he suddenly looked concerned as he saw Wheatley holding his stomach with his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "What happened? Oh god, _I_ didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Of course you did!" Wheatley yelled at him. "You hit me right in the stomach, you git!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" the young man said sincerely. "I deserve any names you call me. Here, hit me back." He put his arms behind his back, leaving his chest and stomach open for abuse. He squeezed his eyes shut as he anticipated pain.

"I'm not going to hit you!" Wheatley said. "I'm not some kind of brute like you!"

"Okay, umm….My name is Taylor Wilson, okay? I think I live in the same apartment complex as you. Ask Valentine or Spencer where I live. If you need anything at all, please come over and ask."

"What are you going on about?" Wheatley asked with confusion. "I don't need you for anything!"

"Just keep it in mind, okay? I have to go help my brother with something. I'll see you around. And again, I'm _really_ sorry about hurting you." He turned and ran off in the direction of the apartments.

"What the bloody hell was _that_ about?!" Wheatley asked aloud as he continued on his walk. "Humans are too mad! I'm not sure if I want to be one anymore! What if I start running about and assaulting people like that kid? I don't want that!"

He shoved his hands into his jean pockets angrily and looked down as he walked. He couldn't believe the nerve of that kid. Who does something like that?

_Maybe Doug isn't so crazy after all,_ Wheatley thought. _I mean, compared to some of the humans I've encountered, he's perfectly normal. There was that man earlier at the diner. Marie's uncle or something. He was acting odd today. His eyes were glazed and he looked like he kept forgetting where he was. Valentine seems a bit peculiar, too. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a nut job like Doug._

The breeze that was blowing around him suddenly started to pick up. He shivered from the chill that went through his body. He didn't like this chill. There were quite a few things that he didn't like about having a body. One of them was the pressure in his lower torso when he needed to urinate. If he didn't get to a toilet soon enough, he would feel as if he was going to explode from the pressure. Or when his nose itched a lot just before he was about to sneeze. He'd heard about human headaches and he wasn't looking forward to experiencing one.

_This will all be worth it, though,_ he thought. _Once I get Nora back and….Well, I'm actually not sure what will happen. Hopefully that woman Li will make her human, as well. I mean, I could live with Nora being a core but it would be rather disappointing. There'd be no warmth from her. No kissing. No….No….What else is there?_

As he thought about this, he looked across the street and noticed that he was near the diner. He could see Doug sitting at a table with an old man and old woman. Wait, old _woman?_ Wheatley was sure that Doug had said he didn't want to meet with his mother. In fact, he did look a bit angry as he sat across from the woman. Wheatley wondered if he should try to aid Doug in this uncomfortable situation.

"You should probably leave him alone," a young woman's voice said behind him.

Wheatley turned and saw Chell standing just behind him. It took him a moment to realize it was her since she'd cut her hair. He also wasn't quite used to seeing her in street clothes. She was wearing a white jacket over a blue shirt that had a cute cartoon cat on it.

"Chell?"

"I was in there visiting with my friend Ben," Chell said. "Doug seems angry with that woman. I think that's his mom."

"Yeah, it is," Wheatley said. "I don't know why but he doesn't like his mum."

Chell shrugged. "It's not really any of our business," she said. "Come on. Do you want to see my apartment?"

"Yes, I would," Wheatley said, smiling. "I bet you've got a bunch of girly stuff like pony posters and pink bed sheets and…and…butterflies."

Chell laughed. "Yeah, I have butterflies in my room," she said sarcastically. "Just follow me."

She started to lead him down the street. He shivered again in the wind and noticed that the sky was beginning to darken.

"Why is it so cold today?" Wheatley asked. "Where's the sun?"

"I think it's going to rain today," Chell said. "Do you feel that in the air?"

Wheatley stopped and became aware of a sort of energy in the wind that brought a foreboding feeling with it. It was strange and primal. He wasn't sure if he liked it.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "That's strange. Why is that? It makes me slightly uncomfortable. What's giving me this feeling?"

"It's just what humans feel when it's going to rain," Chell said, picking up on her lead to her apartment. "Sorry, but I'm not very good at explaining things. My communication skills are rather lacking."

"I understand," Wheatley said. "Before recently, I didn't even know you _could_ communicate. Aside from facial expressions, that is. And defying my orders." He smiled a little.

"Are you able to joke about it now?" Chell asked, smiling with him.

"I'm _trying_ to," Wheatley said. "I suppose it's a step towards moving on from it."

"I'm glad that you're trying to move on."

It didn't take them long to get to Chell's apartment. It was a four-story brick building with green frames around the windows and a metal door in the front. They went through this door and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Chell got her key out of her jacket pocket to unlock the door. Wheatley looked up and down the hallway as she did this. It seemed so quiet here. _Oddly_ quiet.

"Ah! Here we go!" Chell said. "Stupid lock likes to be sticky."

She pushed open the door and lead Wheatley into a small living room. Her apartment was simple and quaint. Wooden floorboards made up the floor and the walls were plaster. The furniture was threadbare with faded colors. In general, everything was pretty plain. The one thing that adorned any of the walls was a painting that showed a tower where a staircase appeared to be ascending but only connected with itself in a never-ending loop. Wheatley walked up to it and tilted his head slightly as he studied it.

"That's an, er…interesting piece of art," he said. "Very, uh, very artistic. And complicated."

"It's an M.C. Escher picture," Chell explained. "It reminds me of Aperture."

Wheatley squinted his eyes at the picture, then shook his head. "I don't get it."

"You don't need to," Chell said. "Let me show you my room. You might find it interesting."

She brought him to a door off in the back right corner of the living room. She turned the knob and opened the door, and Wheatley immediately noticed what adorned the walls. There were scribbles and doodles that seemed to be made from a pencil all over. Some of the writing didn't seem to make any sense while other bits were too small to read. The doodles were of personality constructs and the Aperture Handheld Portal Device. There was a little drawing of a slice of cake on fire just next to the light switch.

"This reminds me of Doug's rooms in Aperture," Wheatley murmured. "Except, you know….without all the color. And madness."

"Madness?" Chell asked.

"I mean, this just looks like you got bored and decided to draw on your walls."

Chell was silent. Wheatley turned and saw her looking down at the floor. Her face was flushed red.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Her shoulder rose a little in what appeared to be a shrug. "I was overjoyed to get out of Aperture," she said. "At first, that is. I walked through a wheat field for such a long time. The Combine found me near a road and brought me back to this town. Ben was undercover as a soldier at the time so he protected me from the others. He helped me use my voice again and taught me everything about the invasion. But I soon couldn't stand being here. I…I just wanted to be back in Aperture. I didn't like what the world had become, you know? I wasn't used to grass and open sky and people. Humans, I mean. I was only used to constructs and turrets. So for a while, I just locked myself in my room and tried to pretend that I was in a relaxation chamber." She smiled meekly. "I bet I sound crazy to you now, huh?"

"Uh, well, yes," Wheatley said. "I'm not going to lie. You are sounding a bit crazy right now. Why would you ever want to be back in Aperture? After everything that happened to you, why would you want to go back to turrets and lasers and…_her_?"

Chell ran a hand through her hair in agitation. "I can't really remember anything before Aperture. I don't remember my family or my friends or even my last name. It's like my memory was deleted or something. So Aperture has kind of been my whole life."

Wheatley grimaced a little. "Ugh. I actually understand what you're talking about. I only remember ever being in Aperture, too. Are we crazy?"

Chell laughed lightly and Wheatley felt a fluttering in his stomach.

"I don't think we're crazy," she said. "But if we are, we could start a club."

"Yeah, and invite Doug," Wheatley joked. "Oh! Do you know about our plan to go back into Aperture?"

Chell's smile dropped into a frown. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Why would you want to go back?"

"For Nora," Wheatley said. "Remember? That friend I told you about?"

"Right," Chell said. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's just so dangerous. You know what GLaDOS will do to you if she finds you back in the facility, right? And you being human now would just be icing on the cake for her."

"I don't need reminding of how much she hates me," Wheatley said. "But I need to rescue Nora. She's in trouble right now and I owe her so much for everything that I did to her. You wouldn't want to join us, would you? I mean, of course you don't want to. But Nora really looked up to you back in Aperture."

"You're not exactly subtle with guilt-tripping, are you?" Chell asked, crossing her arms and trying not to smile. Wheatley could be so typical at times. She'd missed him so much.

"It's just…If anyone can be of any use in there—well, aside from Doug—it's you," Wheatley stammered.

"Very encouraging," Chell said. "Well, I can't let you and Doug have all the fun, can I? I'll need some time to really think about it—"

"We hope to go back within a week," Wheatley interrupted. "Or at least, that's what _I'm_ hoping."

"I'll give you my answer by then."

Wheatley stepped toward her and wrapped his gangly arms around her in a tight hug. "Thank you," he said. "You're a great friend."

They stood like this until it became awkward. Wheatley stepped back from her and Chell had to fight against the urge to rush forward and kiss him.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Familiar Face

**AN: Hello, my lovelies! Long time, no write! I'm sorry for the months without an update. I was actually planning on abandoning this story but a certain review pushed me forward. I've never felt such gratitude from a reader before. I was going to write them back but they were using a guest account. So "TestSubject 1498", if you're reading this, get an account and contact me again. I want to see some of that fan art. ^.^**

**It's a good thing that TestSubject 1498 inspired me again because I had some intense stuff planned ahead for this story. There may even be a death. Who knows? (I do.) Keep in mind, though, that it might take a while to pump out chapters. I'm working a lot to pay rent and save up for a fursuit.**

**Now on with the chapter!**

Doug looked out the window as his parents tried to speak to him. He couldn't believe that his dad had brought his mom after all. He was so furious that he didn't even want to look at them.

As he stared outside, he spotted a familiar face across the street. Annie was walking down the sidewalk opposite of the diner. She was wearing a denim jacket and a long, blue skirt that flowed around her ankles. Doug watched her, thinking that she was heading for the diner to see him. However, she didn't make any move to cross the street. She just passed it like she was a real person. What really shocked Doug, though, was when another woman stopped Annie to talk to her.

_How is this possible?_ he wondered. _This shouldn't be possible. Why can somebody else see her? Am I imagining more people?_

He got up from the table, ignoring his parents, and hurried outside. Annie was just saying goodbye to the other woman as he got to her. She turned to him with a startled look.

"A…Annie," he panted.

"Um, I'm sorry, sir," she said, "but you have me mistaken for somebody else." Her voice was strong and unintentionally stern.

Doug stared at her in confusion, not sure what to do. How could this not be Annie? She had the same long, dark, curly hair; the same creamy skin with pink cheeks; the same beautiful, curvy body.

The Annie look-alike gave him a look of pity. "She must be important to you, huh? This Annie."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah," Doug said. He looked down, feeling dejected.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she said. "My name is Leah, by the way."

"I'm Doug," he mumbled.

"I need to get going right now," Leah said, "but maybe we can have coffee some time. I feel bad about the mix up and that's not the kind of impression that I want to leave on a person. I'm new to this town anyway so maybe you could show me where I need to go. I'm kind of here on business."

"Uh, yeah," Doug said. "I'll probably be going to this diner regularly again. I mean, since it reopened."

"Right," Leah said, noticing his awkwardness. She titled her head slightly and smiled. "I'm serious about the coffee, you know. See you around, Doug."

Doug watched her walk away until she was out of sight. He turned and looked back at his parents through the window where they sat looking at him with confusion. After this embarrassment, he didn't want to go back to that disappointment. He turned around and ran toward the apartments.

* * *

When he got back to the apartment, Valentine was sitting in her chair and drinking coffee. She seemed surprised by his sudden arrival.

"I'm guessing brunch didn't go well with your dad," she said.

"How did you guess?"

"You were only gone for twenty minutes."

"Oh."

Doug sat down on the couch and sighed.

"You wanna talk about it?" Valentine asked.

"He invited my mom," Doug said, resting his head back and staring at the ceiling. "Even after I told him that I didn't want to see her."

"Yeah, Spencer told me about her addiction," Valentine said. "And I assume he told you about our Uncle Phil."

"He did," Doug said. "I don't know what to think of him anymore."

"Please don't think any less of him," Valentine said. "And don't think less of your mom. Did you ever ask her why she started doing heroin in the first place?"

Doug looked at her with an appalled expression. "No," he said. "It doesn't matter to me _why_ she started. She shouldn't have started _at all_. She was a mother."

"Okay, I don't want to argue," Valentine said, waving her hand in a dismissive way. "I can tell that you feel very strongly about this."

Wheatley suddenly came through the sliding door, looking worried and even a little scared.

"How was your walk, Wheatley?" Valentine asked.

"It was fine," Wheatley said, looking at his shoes. He sat down on the couch next to Doug but didn't say any more. Doug didn't like how quiet his comrade was.

"Everything alright?" Doug asked cautiously.

"Hm?" Wheatley asked as he was jerked from his thoughts. "Oh, yeah. I ran into Chell earlier. We saw you at the diner with your parents."

"Is that all that happened?" Doug asked. He was starting to feel suspicious now.

"Um, no," Wheatley said. His hands were resting on his knees, and they clenched a bit as he hesitated. "Chell invited me to her apartment. It was…interesting."

He fell silent again. This was really starting to get on Doug's nerves.

"What's wrong, Wheatley?" he asked directly.

"I feel…I don't know—_strange_ around Chell suddenly," Wheatley said. "My stomach feels weightless sometimes when I'm around her. Especially when she smiles. And I just feel like more of an idiot than usual."

Doug knew what Wheatley was talking about, and it made him furious. He could even feel his face flushing.

"You're in love, you moron," Doug grumbled.

"What?! Love?! No way!" Wheatley said, shaking his head vigorously. "No! I'm in love with Nora!"

"Well, apparently you're in love with Chell now, too," Doug said. "Nora's going to be heartbroken if she finds out about this."

"You _can not_ tell her!" Wheatley said, suddenly grabbing Doug by the collar. "When we find her again in Aperture, you have to keep your mouth shut! Please, Doug! I-I don't want her to have any more reason to hate me!"

"I don't know if I can just keep it from her," Doug said. "She's my friend and she has the right to know. And besides, if you don't do something about this and you're still in love with Chell when we bring Nora back to town, she'll end up finding out."

"What do I do?!" Wheatley asked, letting go of Doug's shirt. "I need your help, Doug! Please! For Nora's sake! I don't want to hurt her feelings again!"

"How the hell am_ I_ supposed to know what you should do?!" Doug yelled at him. "I barely know how to handle my own emotions—"

He quickly shut his mouth and looked down. He could feel Valentine's eyes on him.

"Oh god!" Wheatley said, burying his face in his hands. "What have I gotten myself into?! I knew that no good would come out of being human! I just _knew_ it!"

"Wheatley, calm down," Valentine said. "You shouldn't feel bad about this. You should never feel guilty about loving someone."

"But I'm supposed to love _Nora!"_ Wheatley protested.

"And you _do_, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then don't worry about it," Valentine said. "You just have a crush on Chell. It might not even last. It's only natural that these feelings would be overwhelming you since you're not used to them."

"I just—I-I don't want to mess anything up," Wheatley said, still flustered. "I don't want to screw up my reunion with Nora."

"You won't," Valentine said. "Everything will be fine."

Wheatley looked at her and offered a weak smile. "Thanks," he said. He stood up. "I'm going to go use the restroom now. My bladder feels like it might burst."

He shuffled into the bathroom and they could hear him shut the door.

"You really think it won't go anywhere?" Doug asked Valentine skeptically.

"No, he's screwed," Valentine said. "I just wanted to help him feel better."

Doug couldn't help but smile a little.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Experiment Failure

GLaDOS started her experiment with a random core and a random female human body. She was able to bring the body out of stasis and keep it connected to life support. The body was now laying on a metal table in the middle of GLaDOS' lair. A white sheet covered it from its chest to its knees.

"This just doesn't seem right," Caroline said. "It feels like we're playing with a corpse."

"We're not," GLaDOS said. "We're basically playing with a vegetable."

"That doesn't seem any better," Caroline said.

"It actually seems worse," Nora agreed.

"If you want to explore the possibilities of science, sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone," GLaDOS said. "It's not all potato batteries and baking soda volcanoes."

A core was then brought into the room. She had a hot pink burst of light for an eye and a blue ribbon tied around one of her handles. She lowered her top optic lid as she looked around her.

"Wow," she said. "This place is so…..gloomy. You need a lot more color in here. I've got just the decorations for that. Maybe some banners and posters of cute, little kitties—"

"No thank you," GLaDOS said. "I just need you to stay still and brace yourself."

"What for?" the core asked, tilting to the side curiously.

"Trust me," GLaDOS said. "You don't want to know. Just keep in mind that it's for the good of science."

A thick cord suddenly descended from the ceiling and pierced the human body in the back of the neck with two metal prongs, plugging itself into the brain stem. According to GLaDOS' explanation, there were small wires that connected with the neurons in the human's brain.

"Personality download process ready to run," said the voice of the system. "Please confirm permission to proceed."

"Excuse me," the core said with a nervous laugh. "But, uh, I already have a personality. In case you couldn't tell. And I don't need two."

"I'm perfectly aware of this," GLaDOS said. "You'll be going to a new body if I have my calculations right."

"B-But I don't need to go to a new body!" the core claimed with a shaky voice. "Please, this one is great!"

"Please stop talking," GLaDOS said. "I need to be able to concentrate. Proceed with the personality download process."

"Initiating personality download process in three…two…one. "

There was an intense pause before the core started screaming in pain. Her optic lids shot open and her pupil shrank as she twitched violently. Nora couldn't take this. She immediately made an upbeat song start playing in the chamber, but no matter how loud it was, she could still only focus on the screaming of her fellow core. Dread, guilt, and regret seeped into her.

At the same time, the cord connecting to the human body seemed to vibrate as information traveled through it. But then it suddenly started to jerk a few times and jitter back and forth.

"Warning: Core contains corrupted files that cannot be transferred," the system's voice said. "A problem has occurred. Remaining core files cannot be downloaded."

"I thought this might happen," GLaDOS said.

"What? What happened exactly?" Caroline asked. "What does it mean?"

"It means that the human's mind won't be complete," GLaDOS explained. "And for that matter, the core has lost a good portion of its personality."

"That can happen?! " Nora asked. "I-I wouldn't have agreed to this if I knew this might happen! That poor core!"

"Not all experiments succeed the first time," GLaDOS said. "She was used so that we might learn more about this process. I think I might know what we did wrong. I just need to rewrite a few commands and the problem should be solved. It's just a matter of recovering corrupted files."

"What will happen to the core?" Nora asked.

"She will be formatted and recycled for something else," GLaDOS said matter-of-factly. "Although I can't imagine what I would use it for."

"But can't we just put the rest of her personality back in her?"

"Not with those corrupted files still in her," GLaDOS said. "The system will find it as an error and say that it can't proceed with the process."

"I'm sorry, Nora," Caroline said. "Did you know her?"

"No," Nora said. "But it still hurts to see a sentience be so easily lost."

"This won't happen to you," GLaDOS told Nora. "We will figure this out. Although I might need to test a few of these bodies to make sure that they can even move on their own."

"How will you do that?" Caroline asked suspiciously.

"With the help of a little electric stimulation and a very basic artificial intelligence program," GLaDOS explained. "Don't worry. It shouldn't harm or hurt the human bodies as long as we use the correct voltage."

Nora didn't like this idea but she knew she wasn't strong enough to overpower GLaDOS. The super computer was set on this experiment, and Nora could feel that nothing would deter or stop her except progress.


	30. Chapter Thirty: Fluffy Friend

**AN: I know what you're thinking. "Holy crap! This writer is still alive?!" Hell yeah, I am! And I've written the rest of the chapters for this story, too! I'll try to post one per day, but if I miss a day, I'll just post two the next day. I promised you guys that I wouldn't let this story die.**

**Now without further ado, here is chapter 30.**

Wheatley sat on the concrete porch and stared at the people working on the fence that encircled the city. He was amazed that these people could find ways to be productive without somebody telling them exactly what to do. There were no bots to guide them or give them any feedback.

_They really like to keep themselves busy,_ _though_, he thought. _I'm just glad to have a bit of a rest, but they're like ants, aren't they? Although even a pack of ants have a queen. Ants live in packs, right? Or flocks?_

He continued to watch them work and was surprised by how quickly they advanced on the fence. They were skilled with their tools and seemed to know exactly what they were doing. He thought back to a certain human back in Aperture who had perfected her methods of solving tests. She was so intuitive and clever. Even when the euphoric release had worn off on him, Wheatley had to admit that he had enjoyed watching her solve the tests.

"Stop thinking about her!" he muttered to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. "Stupid humans! They cause nothing but trouble!"

Suddenly, the sliding door opened behind him and a small dog trotted over to him. The scruffy, little creature stuck its wet nose in his ear and sniffed him vigorously.

"Ah! Get off of me!" Wheatley exclaimed, pushing the dog off of him.

"Sorry, Wheatley," Valentine said from the door. "He needs to do his business out here. You can come back inside if you don't want him to bother you."

"No, it's fine," Wheatley grumbled. "I want some more time to think."

"Okay, suit yourself," Valentine said, and slid the door shut.

Wheatley looked back to the dog. What was its name?

"Your name's Timmy, right?" he asked. "Or is it Toby?"

The base of the dog's floppy black ears rose a little at this name. His muzzle was so messy from eating recently, and his panting only made him look messier as drool matted his little, doggy beard.

"Right, Toby," Wheatley said. "If you don't mind, I need some time to think about what I'm going to do. See, I've got a bit of a problem here. I, er….have feelings for a friend. But I don't _want_ to, is the thing. I've got this fantastic friend back where I'm from and I'm hoping that maybe one day she'll want to be with me forever. Of course this would have to come after she forgives me for all of the rotten things I've done to her."

Toby started to look away and wandered off into the grass. He started sniffing around until he chose a spot to squat. Wheatley looked away, wrinkling his face in disgust. After a moment, Toby trotted back over to him and moved his head under Wheatley's hand.

"Uck! No!" Wheatley exclaimed. "I don't want to pet you right now! Not after _that!"_

Toby was insistent, though. He nuzzled into Wheatley's side, tickling the core and making him flinch away.

"Ah! Stop it!" Wheatley laughed. "Stop, you grubby canine!"

Toby's long, fluffy tail wouldn't stop wagging as he tried to cuddle against the ex-machine. Wheatley eventually gave in and patted the dog's head.

"Alright, you're sort of cute," he said to Toby. "Even if your mouth is extremely filthy and you defecate outside like an animal. Although I suppose that's what you are. It's so odd that humans will bring animals into their home and make them part of the family. How can they be so welcoming to other species? You can't even speak their language. Do you understand a word that I've said to you?"

Toby had gotten bored so he was now sitting down and looking off in the distance, sniffing the air every so often.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Wheatley said. "At least you're a nice animal. I bet you wouldn't be so nice if you were a wolf. Do you even know about wolves? They're like dogs, but bigger and fiercer. And according to fairy tales, they like to destroy pigs' houses and eat grandmothers."

Toby lied down with his head in Wheatley's lap. Wheatley smiled a little.

"For such dimwitted creatures, you seem to be very good listeners," he said. "Or maybe that's just you. Either way, I've decided that you're alright."

"I don't know if he can understand you."

Wheatley looked up and saw Chell approaching him. His heart felt like it jumped in his chest. She was smiling as she crouched down in front of him.

"I-It doesn't matter," he said. "He's a nice creature."

"I agree," Chell said, petting Toby's head. Toby stood up and turned around to rest his head on Chell's knee. "Have you ever even seen a dog before?"

"Before this one? Not in person," Wheatley said. "Although I've seen pictures in the mainframe. It seemed that perhaps GLaDOS had been thinking about using animals in her tests."

Chell frowned. "I hope she doesn't," she said. "I'd rather go back to testing myself than have her test animals."

Wheatley wasn't sure how to respond to this. He looked away awkwardly at the people working on the fence.

"So what are you doing here anyway?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight," Chell said. "We could pick up dinner at the diner and go for a walk."

"Of course!" Wheatley said. "Yes, that sounds like fun. But, er, as long as it's not a date." He could feel his face start to grow hot again, and he wondered if Chell had noticed.

"It's not a date, Wheatley," Chell said, laughing a little. "Relax. I'll come around later to pick you up for dinner."

"There's no need for that!" Wheatley insisted. "I can meet you at the diner."

"Okay, if you really want to," Chell said. "I need to get going." She stood up. "See you later tonight."

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

After she was out of sight, Wheatley put his face in his hands and groaned.

"Uggh! Why did I say yes to this?!" he asked himself. "What's wrong with me?! I'm such an idiot!"

Toby trotted over and sniffed Wheatley's face, curious of his odd position.


	31. Chapter Thirty-One: A Tough Request

Amelia had put off seeing Nate to the next day. She was nervous of what his answer might be to her request, so she made Mikey come along with her to Nate's apartment. They stood in front of Nate's door for a few moments while she gathered up her courage to knock.

"I'm sure he'll be all for it," Mikey said. "He's always seems like a pretty easy-going guy."

"Yeah," Amelia said. "I just don't want him to be disappointed that I'm just jumping into this."

"Well, we can't just sit around down here forever," Mikey pointed out.

"Okay, _you_ tell him that," Amelia said.

"Don't worry," Mikey said. "I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help."

Finally, Mikey reached out and knocked on the door. There were a few moments of silence before they finally heard footsteps approaching. The door unlocked and swung inward to reveal a large man with broad shoulders and lemon-colored hair. He looked down at Amelia and smiled.

"Well, lookie who it is!" he said in his warm Southern accent. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? I feel like I haven't seen ya in weeks, girl!"

"Hi, Nate," Amelia said, smiling sheepishly. "Um, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Come right in!" Nate said, waving his guests in. "I was right in the middle of making dinner. Mikey, right?" Nate pointed at Mikey. "Do you like beef burgers?"

"Um, yeah," Mikey said. "Do you have hot sauce?"

"Of course!" Nate said with a huge smile. "Yer just in luck, kid! I make my own spicy barbeque sauce. I hope you like jalapenos."

Nate led them straight to his dining room where his three-year-old son was sitting on a stool and drawing with crayons. Warwick smiled brightly and his eyes sparkled when he saw Amelia.

"Amy!" he exclaimed, getting up from the table. He ran over her and hugged her waist. "Are you eating here tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess," Amelia said, smiling.

"Yay!" Warwick cheered. "I missed you, Amy!"

"I missed you, too, Warwick," Amelia said, kneeling down and hugging the toddler. She spotted Mikey trying to conceal a wide smile on his face.

"Stop crowding her, little guy!" Nate said, grinning at his son's enthusiasm. "Let her sit down at the table."

"Draw with me, Amy!" Warwick said, pulling her toward the table with his little hand.

"What are you drawing?" Amelia asked as she sat next to him at the table.

"A horse!" Warwick said proudly. "Daddy got me a book with pictures of horses and ponies!"

"He _did?"_ Amelia asked, trying to match his excitement. "That's so cool! Do you want to show it to me?"

"Yeah! Here!" Warwick pushed a heavy book across the table to her. It was open to a page that showed a brown and white horse trotting in a field.

"Alright, everybody," Nate said as he scooped ground beef onto a hamburger bun. "Time to clear the table so we can eat."

"Can Amy color with me after dinner?" Warwick asked.

"Only if she isn't too busy, kiddo," Nate said.

Warwick quickly turned to Amelia with a huge grin. She nodded in response and the child cheered.

"But let's clear off the table for now," Nate repeated. "You don't want to make a mess in yer book, do ya?"

"Okay!" Warwick said and gathered all of his crayons together. He jammed them into their box and carried them along with his horse book over to the living room couch. He dropped everything on the couch cushions before returning and hopping back into his chair.

Nate brought a plate into the dining room for each person. Amelia knew that he had been a server in a diner when he was a young teenager, but she was still impressed with the way that he could balance the plates on his muscular arms.

"I'll be right back with the barbeque sauce and we can talk about whatever it was you wanted to talk about," Nate said.

Amelia looked down at the table as Nate went back to the kitchen. She felt someone lightly tap her arm, and she looked up to see Mikey awkwardly reaching out toward her from his chair. It seemed that he was trying to comfort her but was too shy to put his hand on her arm. He gave her quite an encouraging smile, though.

"Alrighty!" Nate said, sitting down and placing a jar of a reddish-brown sauce on the table. "Let's dig in! Anyone need a fork for the messy bits?"

"No, I'm good," Mikey said, reaching for the sauce.

"Yeah, me, too," Amelia said. "So I wanted to talk to you about, um, Aperture."

"Oh yeah?" Nate asked, looking intrigued. "Have we finally found something? It's about gosh-darned time!"

Warwick giggled a little at his dad's wording, knowing that he was censoring himself.

"Well, uh, no," Amelia said. "We haven't really found anything yet. But I wanted to go there soon."

Nate paused for a moment to take a bite of his food and chew it. "How soon are we talking?" he asked after he had swallowed.

"I was hoping in a few days."

Nate studied Amelia's sheepish expression, then looked to Mikey. "Whose idea was this?" he asked them both.

"It's mine," Amelia claimed. "I just…We can't…"

"We can't sit around down here forever," Mikey cut in. "We need to get outside. Don't you want your son to see the surface? To see sunlight?"

"That's not even a question," Nate said sternly, and looked to his son for a moment before turning back to Amelia. "Are you sure about this?"

Amelia nodded. "We need to take the next step forward," she said. "We've waited for too long."

Nate let out a sigh that made him seem older than he was. "Alright," he said. "You know I'm in. Just tell me when to be ready to leave."

"The day after tomorrow?" Amelia asked.

Nate let out another exhausted sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, alright," he said. "I'll just have to talk to the nursery first thing in the morning."

"I'm sorry, Nate," Amelia said sadly.

"No, don't be, darlin'," he said. "Please. Yer right, after all. We need to take the next step."

They finished eating their dinner, Nate staying silent most of the time. Warwick started asking Amelia about what the surface was like. Amelia did her best to feign enthusiasm, and Nate didn't seem to notice. Mikey noticed, though. Her eyes were too watery and her smile was forced.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Mikey asked Amelia as they walked away from Nate's apartment an hour later.

Amelia nodded but didn't say anything.

They walked in silence for a while until they got to Amelia's door.

"Do you want to meet for breakfast?" Mikey asked.

"Um, yeah," Amelia said, her voice tense with emotion.

"What's wrong?" Mikey asked, taking a half-step toward her.

Her eyes overflowed with tears and her face contorted as she started to cry. She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the sobs.

"Hey, come here," Mikey said, taking her in his arms. He let her sob into his shoulder and patted her back awkwardly. His heart began to race from how close she was to him. "Here, let's get you inside."

Amelia nodded and fumbled with her keys to unlock her door. It was hard to see which key was which through the tears. She managed to unlock the door, though, and quickly retreated to her room. Mikey was left in the doorway of her apartment, unsure of whether he should follow to comfort her or leave her alone.

_Just do it, Mikey!_ he told himself with determination. _Now is your chance to tell her…_

Mikey took in a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. Then he shut the door behind him and walked back to his own apartment. The rest of the night he spent screaming in his head about how much of a coward he was.


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two: Doug's Date

Doug wasn't sure whether or not he should shave his beard or just trim it again. He had an hour before dinner and he was nervous as hell.

"I don't even have anything nice to wear," he said to the Cup as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

_"You'll be fine, Doug,"_ the Cup insisted. _"Relax. Breathe. You're going on a date with a lovely young woman. You're not going up against GLaDOS."_

"This almost makes me feel worse," he said. "God, my stomach is doing backflips."

_"Isn't that nice, though?"_ the Cup asked. _"My Dougie is in love! It's so adorable!"_

"Oh, shut up," he muttered. "It's not that big a deal."

_"Then why are you so nervous?"_

"Because I just know that I'm going to embarrass myself tonight."

* * *

Spencer and Wheatley worked on fixing up one of the empty apartments on the second floor. They carried a couch into the empty living room, and did their best to dust off every surface. Spencer even placed some candles around the room and set up some dark drapes over the windows.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Wheatley said, "I'm off to do other, more interesting things."

"Like what?" Doug asked as Wheatley passed him in the living room.

"Just….things," Wheatley said, reaching out for the patio door. "You know, socializing and whatnot. It's not weird that I want to socialize with the people in this town."

"You only have one person in mind, though," Doug murmured.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Doug said. "Have fun socializing."

"Thank you," Wheatley said, tilting his head to look down his nose at Doug. "And you have fun on your date."

Doug didn't respond as Wheatley left through the patio door.

"Hey, Doug," Spencer said. "Val wanted me to tell you to meet her up there. She's almost ready and wants to surprise you. She rarely puts on makeup."

"Oh, uh, okay?" Doug said.

_"Good luck, Doug!"_ the Cup said as he made his way out into the hall.

He went down to the end of the hall and ascended a flight of stairs. He knew exactly which room to go into. Spencer and Wheatley had been talking about room 22 all afternoon. He shut the door behind him and sat down on the couch. There wasn't really much else to do in the empty apartment.

"I hope I'm not underdressed," he mused as he looked down at himself. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with a faded picture of the Jack Daniel's whiskey label. He'd wanted to put on something more formal, but Spencer had insisted on going casual.

"Trust me," he'd said. "Val won't want to have this be all formal. The more casual the better."

"How casual is a candlelit dinner, though?" Doug murmured as he eyed each vanilla-scented candle that glowed dimly.

He sat awkwardly on the couch for about five minutes, trying to focus on the candlelight and not on the shadows dancing around the room. Why did it have to be so damn dark in here? Was candlelight really so romantic?

He jumped when he heard the door open behind him. He turned around and saw Valentine walking into the apartment. She wore a flowing blue skirt with a purple blouse. As she walked around the couch and sat down next to Doug, he noticed that she was wearing light makeup of blues and purples. He realized why the candlelight was romantic as the shadows danced around her face, making her appear mysterious and beautiful.

"Y-You look nice tonight," Doug said bluntly.

"Thanks," she said quietly. "You, too. Nice shirt."

"Spencer picked it out," Doug admitted. "I usually don't wear stuff like this."

"Well, it looks good anyway."

There was a pause in the conversation that made Doug feel uncomfortable.

"Oh!" Valentine suddenly said. "Spencer arranged Uncle Phil to deliver dinner. In case you were wondering where the food was. Because I invited you to dinner."

"Y-Yeah."

"Do me a favor," she continued with a nervous smile. "Stop me if I start rambling. I'm terrible at this sort of thing."

Doug laughed a little, glad that he wasn't the only one. "You're doing fine," he said. "So, uh…Your dad worked at Aperture?"

"Yeah," Valentine said. "Actually, he was a…janitor."

"Oh?" Doug asked. Then realization hit him. "Oh! Arty! Yeah, I remember him!"

"You do?" Valentine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah! He was a nice guy. Dirty blonde hair, super tall?"

Valentine smiled. "That was him," she said. "Did he ever talk to you?"

"Not really," Doug said. "I mean, he would greet everybody in the halls and was pretty polite."

"He was very charismatic," Valentine agreed. "He wasn't very ambitious and he loved finding ways to get away with doing the bare minimum, but he knew how to treat people."

"Ah," Doug said. "Well, um, what did your mother used to do?"

"Construction work," Valentine said. "She would usually operate the cranes and bulldozers."

"Really?" Doug asked, sounding a bit too surprised.

"Yeah, people usually don't expect to hear that my mom did construction work," Valentine said understandingly. "The heavy-lifting really messed up her back. In the winter, her arthritis is almost unbearable."

"Oh. That's too bad."

"So what about _your_ parents? What did they used to do?"

"My dad was a high school teacher for world history," Doug said.

"Huh. I don't think I had him as a teacher. What about your mom?"

"She sold clothes at a local boutique. I think it was called Amy's Boutique or something."

There was another silent pause as they just looked around the room.

"Sorry," Valentine said. "I don't know how this is supposed to go. I've only ever had one boyfriend."

"I've only ever been on one date," Doug admitted. "And that was prom."

"I'm guessing she didn't stick with you."

"You'd be right."

"Sorry."

There was a knock on the door before Doug could respond. The two looked at each other for a moment in confusion.

"I'll get it," Doug offered, getting up. He went to the door and opened it to find Phil pushing a metal cart.

"Doug! Good to see you!" he said, clapping Doug on the back. "How are you doing? Where's my little Valentine? It's so dark in here."

"Over here," Valentine said. "Spencer thought that a candlelit dinner would 'set the mood'."

Phil laughed. "Is that so?" he asked. "That kid! Anyway, here's your dinner. I don't wanna keep you from your date. You kids have a good time. And Doug, treat my niece right."

"Uh, yeah," Doug said nervously. "Of course I will."

Phil left them alone again as abruptly as he'd shown up. On the cart were two plates that were covered with silver dome lids. Doug pushed the cart over to the couch and handed one of the plates to Valentine.

"Thanks," Valentine said and removed the lid. "Ooh! This looks delicious!"

Doug removed his own lid and found the same meal. The plate held a seasoned round chop of steak with mashed potatoes and green beans piled next to it. Doug chuckled softly.

"What's up?" Valentine asked.

"He must have remembered that this was my favorite meal," Doug explained.

There was another, much longer pause as they sat and ate their dinner on the couch. Doug wished that he could think of something interesting to say but his mind drew a blank. He just focused on trying not to scarf down his food like an animal.

"Do you think I'm weird?"

Doug quickly looked up from his plate at Valentine. "Hm?" he asked with a mouthful of potatoes.

"It's just…I _know_ that it's weird for me to be so into dark stuff. But do you find that unattractive?"

Doug swallowed his food before answering. "No, of course not," he said. "It makes you more interesting."

Valentine looked down at her plate. It was nearly empty now. "I just….Sometimes I think I'm crazy."

Doug couldn't help but laugh at this. "You think that _you're_ crazy?" Then he suddenly stopped laughing as he remembered something from the previous night. "Hey, uh, Marie mentioned something last night when you were upset."

"Oh god," Valentine groaned. "Marie heard that? I feel awful now."

"Well, she mentioned that you talk to someone."

Valentine looked up from her plate and met Doug's gaze. "She did?"

"Yeah," Doug said hesitantly. "Someone named Lance?"

"Fuck," Valentine murmured and covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe she told you about Lance."

"Who _is_ Lance?" Doug asked curiously.

"Guess she didn't tell you that much about him," Valentine said. "Just forget it."

"Is….Is Lance real?"

Valentine looked up at him with a heated gaze. "Of course he's real!" she exclaimed. "He's been my best friend since I was a kid! He comforts me and gives me advice! He's gotten me through some really dark times in my life!" She suddenly stopped and looked away.

Doug stared at Valentine with wide eyes, but there was a growing heat in his chest.

"Lance is an angel," Valentine said after some time. Her voice was shaking and she continued to look away. "Literally. He's got wings and a halo. He's a chubby, orange-haired, pale-skinned guy. He's been guiding me through my life. Before you say anything, though, I _don't_ believe in God. Lance can't explain what he is but I don't even care anym—"

Doug suddenly took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. He couldn't describe how happy he felt hearing her say all of this. When he stopped he gazed into her eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he said and kissed her forehead. "You're not crazy. You're perfect."

Valentine grabbed both of their plates and put them back on the cart before climbing on top of him and kissing him hard. She pressed her body against his and ran her fingers through his hair. Doug wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her closer to him.

"Wait," Valentine said, getting off of him. She hurried to the door and Doug's heart sank a bit. Then he heard the click of the lock. She came back with a mischievous smile. "Now nobody will interrupt us."

Doug's heart swelled again and started racing as she climbed back onto top of him.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three: A Moron's Mistake

Wheatley found Chell waiting for him on the front steps of her building. She smiled when she saw him and stood up.

"Hey," she said. "How are you doing tonight?"

"Good, good," Wheatley said, hands shoved nervously in his pockets. "Erm, how about you?"

"I'm starving," Chell said. "Let's go inside. Ben can make us something to eat."

"Ben?"

"My roommate," Chell explained.

"Oh."

Chell led him up to her apartment where a young man was fiddling with a television across from the couch. He was a broad-shouldered man with slightly muscular arms. He had a curly brown mop of hair on his head and wore thick-framed glasses.

"Hey, Chell," Ben said, turning to them as they entered the room. "This must be that guy that you keep talking about."

"Yeah," Chell said, her cheeks turning a little pink. "Wheatley, this is my roommate Ben."

"What's up, buddy?" Ben asked, reaching out to shake Wheatley's hand. Wheatley reluctantly accepted the handshake. "Chell likes to talk about how much of a dork you are."

"Ben!" Chell exclaimed, pushing him playfully.

"Dork?" Wheatley asked. "I don't know what that means."

"Just ignore him, Wheatley," Chell said. "He's just trying to embarrass me. Let's sit on the couch."

Chell sat down on the closest end of the couch to the door and Wheatley sat next to her.

"I think I can get this thing working in just a minute," Ben said, checking all of the wires in the back of the television. "Then I can make us up something good for dinner while we watch VHS tapes." He looked over at Chell. "Unless this is some kind of date."

"It's not," Chell said quickly. "Geez, Ben."

"I'm only teasing you," Ben said with a laugh.

Wheatley wasn't amused by this. He didn't even want Ben to be there. He really wished that something would make him have to leave.

"Hey, Wheatley," Ben said. "Do you know anything about TVs?"

"No," Wheatley said. "I've never needed a 'TV'. I had a lot of responsibilities in Aperture."

"Oh yeah?" Ben asked. "I bet. You probably didn't have a lot of time for fun, did you?"

Wheatley thought of chasing Nora around the facility, hearing her laugh and call his name. "It wasn't always so bad."

"Hey, what was it like to be a robot?" Ben asked.

"Ben! Geez!" Chell said. "Do you have to be so blunt with your questions?"

"Do I really need to dance around the subject?" Ben asked. "I think it's really interesting, and I want to know how he got put into a human body. What was the process for that, Wheatley? Whose body are you walking around in, anyway?"

"I'll have you know that this is _my_ body!" Wheatley snapped. "I was orbiting around the planet when a young woman showed up and gave me my old human body. Then I fell to Earth so that I could return to Aperture."

Ben didn't really seem to be listening as he fiddled with some wires connecting to the TV's tube. Wheatley felt like smacking him on the back of the head for not paying attention to him.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the apartment door. Ben got up and opened the door to reveal a preteen boy who looked out of breath.

"Ben," he panted. "Phil needs your help at the diner. It's really busy."

"Seriously?" Ben whined. "It's my night off. I'm not supposed to be there tonight."

"It's _really_ busy," the kid replied. "A group from another town is visiting."

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that?" Ben asked. "Sorry, Chell. I can't finish the TV tonight. I'm sure you two can find something else to do. I'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Chell said. "Seeya later."

Ben hurried out with the kid, shutting the door behind him. Wheatley felt absolutely relieved.

"So what do you want to do now that he's gone?" he asked Chell.

"I guess we'll just have to make our own dinner."

"What did you have in mind?"

Chell stood up from the couch and wandered into the kitchen. Wheatley quickly followed with a grumbling stomach. She rummaged through the cupboards, moving around boxes and cans of food.

"Hmmm…We have rice, beans, instant mashed potatoes, corn, ramen noodles—"

"What are ramen noodles?" Wheatley interrupted.

"They're noodles that have a really salty broth," Chell said. "Trust me, you don't want it. Maybe we could just have rice. I think there's actually a rice cooker in here somewhere. Do you just want to sit in the living room while I set this up?"

"No, I don't mind waiting in here with you," Wheatley said.

Chell found the rice cooker in a cupboard by the oven, and put a few cups of rice and water in it. She plugged it into the outlet above the counter and turned around to lean against the counter.

"So what are you going to do when you finally get Nora out?" Chell asked. "She'll still be a construct."

"I'm hoping that the lady who made me human will also make Nora a human, too," Wheatley said, leaning against the counter with her. "I mean, how difficult can it be if she's already done it once?"

"That _really_ sounds crazy," Chell said, laughing a little. "But I don't know how else to explain the way you came back down from space in a human body."

"_My_ human body," Wheatley corrected. "Not just _any_ body. This is what I looked like before I got stuffed into a metal ball."

"Okay, okay," Chell said. "Well, it's a nice body." She suddenly shut up and her eyes widened. Then she laughed. "I can't believe I just said that."

Wheatley laughed, too, though he didn't know why.

"Sorry," Chell said. "I'm just being a dork."

"I still don't know what that means," Wheatley pointed out.

"Forget it. It's nothing important."

They were silent as the rice cooker started boiling. Wheatley started whistling tunelessly while Chell stared down at the floor, unsure what to say.

"Are you upset about something?" Wheatley suddenly asked.

"Hm?" Chell asked, looking up from the floor at him.

"You don't look happy tonight," Wheatley said. "Your eyes are watery like you're going to cry."

"I'm just a little…frustrated."

"About what?"

"Everything. I don't know what I should do with my life out here, but I don't know what I would do if I was still back in Aperture. I haven't made many friends on the surface either. I'm so lonely. I just don't know where my life is going at this point, and it's scaring me."

She hugged herself and hunched her shoulders forward a little. She felt so cold now.

"Even if the world _hadn't_ been taken over by aliens, I still wouldn't know what I would be doing in the real world. Either way I feel lost. What do I do, Wheatley? All I know is testing now. I'm useless out here—"

"No you're bloody not!" Wheatley interrupted curtly. "Don't call yourself useless! I can understand being confused on the surface. How do you think _I_ feel? But we can figure these things out together. We'll find our place up here. On the surface. I promise."

He took her in his arms and held her against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face where his neck and shoulder met. His stomach tied itself in a knot and his heart started racing. Chell could feel his heart pounding through his chest and it made her own heart beat faster. She nuzzled her nose against his skin, making him unconsciously pull her closer to him.

"What are you doing?" Wheatley murmured, but he didn't stop her.

"Wheatley….I like you a lot," she said nervously. "I mean _a lot_. I missed you so much when you were in space. Even in Aperture, I….was really, um, charmed by you."

As she spoke, her breath lightly tickled Wheatley's neck.

"Chell, I….I love Nora. But I'm starting to think that maybe she's not the only one I…you know."

Chell looked up into his eyes. They were confused as they stared back at her.

"Wheatley, I don't think we should do anything that you'll regret later," she said. "I don't want to get between you and Nora. I'll get over this. Don't worry about me."

Despite her words, Wheatley leaned down and kissed Chell awkwardly. It was just a quick peck on the lips. They looked at each other again and Chell laughed a little.

"That's what I was trying to avoid, Wheatley," she said. "I didn't want to make things awkward—"

Wheatley leaned down and kissed her again and again.

"I'm sorry," he said between kisses. "I just…really like…how this feels."

"How does it make you feel?" Chell asked curiously.

"My chest feels so light and my stomach sort of feels contorted," he described. "It hurts a little but I also really like it. It's confusing. How do _you_ feel?"

"About the same way."

They just stared at each other for what felt like minutes but was probably mere seconds. Wheatley reached up and touched her cheek. Chell pressed her cheek against his palm and smiled. However, she suddenly became very aware of what was happening, and she pulled away from him. Wheatley stood with his arms still slightly extended toward her.

"I liked that, though," he said. "I thought you did, too."

"I did but….You should probably leave."

"What? Why?"

"We've already taken things too far," Chell said. "This won't work out. What do you think will happen when you get Nora out of Aperture?"

"I don't know why I can't love both of you," Wheatley said grumpily. "Why should I have to pick just one of you? It's not fair."

"That's…..That's just how things work, Wheatley," Chell said sternly. "Humans are mostly monogamous."

"But why?!"

"Would you want to share Nora with anyone?"

"I…..Well, er, no. I wouldn't—"

"I imagine that _she_ wouldn't want to share _you_ with anyone either," Chell pointed out. "And neither would I."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean if we were to…take these feelings farther, I wouldn't want to have to share you with Nora. Or anyone."

"You _do_ want to be with me?" Wheatley asked. "Chell, I…I wish I knew how to make this better for you."

"Just stay as my friend," Chell said. "Leave tonight and start fresh in the morning. But we can't do anything like what we've already done tonight."

Wheatley's chest hurt a great deal at being rejected, but he nodded understandingly.

"You're right," he said. "We shouldn't do things like that anymore, I suppose. I did like it, though."

"I liked it, too," Chell agreed with a small smile.

Wheatley shuffled past her to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then, I suppose. Or whenever you feel like hanging out together again."

"Yeah," Chell said.

Wheatley suddenly rushed back toward her, taking her in his arms and kissing her for a long time. Chell allowed this. The emotion in this kiss was fierce, and she didn't want it to end. She reached her hand up and stroked the side of his face. Wheatley ran his long fingers through her short black hair. It was so soft and silky. He did this repeatedly, enjoying every second of the sensation.

He suddenly pulled his face away from hers and smiled admiringly. "I want to try to find a way to make this work," he said. "I want to be allowed to love both you and Nora. I…..I can't choose right now."

"Give it time, I guess," Chell said, smiling a little. "Think it over. And if you don't choose me, I'll be okay. I'm a tough girl, remember?"

She lightly pushed him and he grinned.

"You should still probably go tonight, though," she said. "I have some thinking to do and I want to be alone for it."

"But I really don't want to go," Wheatley said, tightening his grip around her waist a little. "At least, I don't want to go back to that apartment complex. Doug is on a date over there and it's just sort of awkward knowing that he's getting all romantic there."

"Well, good for Doug," Chell said. "I'm glad that he's found someone to make him happy."

"Can I please stay on the couch tonight?" Wheatley asked. "I promise not to try to kiss you again or anything. We can just eat dinner and talk about things on the surface."

"Well, as long as you promise," Chell said. "Go sit on the couch while I scoop the rice in the bowls."

Wheatley obeyed and sat alone awkwardly. He kept his fingers laced together as he looked around the room, and tried to distract his racing thoughts. There were a billion things that he wanted to do while he waited and they were all so contradictory. But what he wanted to do more than anything at all was just to feel Chell's skin against his again as they held each other.

Chell eventually came back with two bowls of rice. They started eating and talking together about the people they had met on the surface so far. They discussed where they wanted to travel and whether this Combine fiasco would ever really get resolved.

Unconsciously, they move closer to each other as they spoke and they noticed that their faces were only a few inches away from each other. Their lips met gently, and they leaned back on the couch to relax as they kissed. A thrill ran through them both as they just held each other and kissed. Nora didn't even cross their minds as they eventually fell asleep in each other's arms.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four: Ruined

"I think I've got it," GLaDOS said to Nora and Caroline. "I'm fairly certain that I've found the solution to the issue with the corrupt files."

"Oh?" Caroline asked with disinterest.

"Yes," GLaDOS went on. "However, I wanted to try something else first. You might like this, Nora. Or you might not."

"What is it?" Nora asked reluctantly. After watching a couple more personality constructs be wiped clean of all files, Nora wasn't sure if she wanted to know what GLaDOS had in store.

"It would just be better if I showed you."

A panel moved away from the floor and an operation table rose up on another set of tiles. On the table was a young blonde woman with a small frame and fair skin. Nora had seen this body only once before, but she still recognized it.

"What are you planning?" Caroline interrogated GLaDOS. "Don't experiment on her body unless you're absolutely sure of the results."

"Caroline, you of all people know that when experimenting with new possibilities, there is no being 'absolutely sure of the results."

"What are you planning, though?" Nora asked sheepishly.

"I just want to see if I can get your body moving," GLaDOS said simply.

"I'm not sure if I'm okay with this," Nora said.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about it," GLaDOS said. "When you were in this body, you signed a waiver stating that if your body was ever left without a mind, Aperture Laboratories has the right to use it for experimentation and testing. I'm guessing that you didn't read the waiver extensively."

Nora couldn't argue with this. It was mostly because she couldn't remember being human anyway. She looked down at her body. It was connected to a heart monitor and tubes going into her arm. It was so surreal to think that this was once her.

"I was able to get the heart to pump blood on its own," GLaDOS said as if she was talking about a stranger's body. "My primary concern right now is getting the muscles to move. The fluid that the bodies are kept in is regularly churned by currents to massage the muscles.

"Now I'm going to proceed with the transfer of a simple artificial intelligence into the blank brain. This is a program that understands different sections of the human brain. It will be able to take control and manipulate the limbs and mouth."

"Are you sure—I mean, are you confident that you've figured out what the problem was with the transfers before?" Nora asked.

"I'm confident enough to be using your body for this," GLaDOS pointed out. "I told you that I wouldn't ruin your body."

GLaDOS lowered a bundle of wires that were connected to a sort of plug from the ceilings. The operation table had a gap near the head, and the plug went through this to plug into the base of the body's skull.

"System ready for personality transfer," the system's voice announced. "Please confirm permission for transfer."

"Permission granted," GLaDOS said.

"Permission acknowledged. Transfer will now commence."

The body jolted slightly as electricity and information was pumped into it. The eyes suddenly shot open with a primal terror. The body's gaze slowly moved up toward GLaDOS' chassis as data still flowed through the wires.

After a few minutes, the body relaxed as the data and electricity ceased. The plug disconnected and retracted back up into the ceiling. The body scrambled off of the table and continued to stare up at them, its back slightly arched defensively. The sheet that had been covering it up to the chest was now wrinkled up on the floor, making Nora very flustered.

"Can you hear me?" GLaDOS asked it.

It tilted its head to the side questioningly but it stayed firmly planted huddled against the table.

"So you _can_," GLaDOS confirmed. "Good. You can't understand me, though. It isn't to be expected with the mind you are programmed with."

It tilted its head to the other side and started to back away. A low rumble sounded from its throat.

"Just what do you think you're going to do?" GLaDOS asked, knowing fully that the body had no idea what she was saying. She leaned down toward the human body in a taunting way. "Do you think you can hurt me?"

Its lips curled back to show Nora's teeth. It growled in such an animalistic way that made Nora squirm. GLaDOS moved a little closer and the body swiped at her, snarling viciously, before quickly backing away. It pressed its bare back against the wall as it continued to growl.

"Can you please stop this?" Nora asked timidly. "This is making me a little uncomfortable."

"Alright," GLaDOS said, backing away from the body calmly. "I suppose we've done enough—"

She was interrupted by a loud banging above them. Nora's body looked up at the ceiling, still growling, and trembling slightly. A panel suddenly fell from the ceiling and a figure dropped down onto GLaDOS. It quickly jumped down to the floor and glared up at GLaDOS' eye. He didn't even seem to notice Nora plugged into the mainframe.

"Ch-Charlie?!" Nora exclaimed with relief.

Unfortunately, her voice was drowned out by the snarling that had intensified at the young man's arrival. His brown hair was much longer than it had been the last time Nora had seen him, and he still only had scraggly stubble on his round chin. However, his eyes were wild and he looked even paler than before. He was wielding a large, heavy wrench in his left hand, and he lifted it slightly when he faced Nora's body.

It suddenly lunged at him with its arms stretched forward to attack. Instinctively, Charlie swung his weapon which collided with the feral body's head with a sickening crack. The body immediately collapsed to the floor, twitching slightly. As the adrenaline rushed through him, Charlie wanted to make sure that this creature didn't get up again. He continued to swing his wrench again and again as Nora watched in silent horror. He finally stopped when he noticed the pool of blood gathering around his Long Fall Boots.

"_Nora?"_ Caroline asked. _"Are you okay?"_

Nora furiously brought a giant claw down from the ceiling and grabbed Charlie tightly around the waist. She lifted him from the ground, bringing him right up to her eye-level.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she asked coldly.

"Nora," GLaDOS said in a worried tone. She found that she couldn't move the claw herself anymore. "Don't do anything that you know you will regret later. Give me back control."

Charlie stared at Nora with a strange mixture of relief and shock.

"Nora?" he asked quietly in his German accent. "How did you….Why….?"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" Nora screamed at him, tightening the grip of the claw. "YOU JUST BASHED IN THE HEAD OF _MY_ BODY! THAT WAS MY ONLY WAY OUT OF HERE! AND YOU _KILLED_ IT!"

Charlie tried to explain himself, but the claw was making it hard for his lungs to expand.

"Warning: Central core at ninety-five percent corruption," the system's voice announced.

"_Nora, sweetie,"_ Caroline said, trying to keep an even tone. _"Please try to calm down. Everything will be alright."_

"No, it won't!" Nora said furiously. "I'm stuck in this crazy, depressing place without a glimmer of hope or happiness!" She squeezed Charlie tighter, making him gasp.

"Warning: Central core at one hundred percent corruption. Please replace central core."

"_Nora! Please!"_ Caroline begged. _"You need to calm down! Just give control of the facility back to GLaDOS!"_

"No!" Nora shouted. "Why should I?! All she has ever done was try to kill the only two people who were ever kind to me! I should rip her out of the mainframe and toss her in the furnace!"

"No alternate cores detected in the vicinity," the system said. "Warning: central core at dangerous levels of corruption. Core overheating."

The room started to shake violently as Nora squeezed Charlie tighter and tighter.

"I have nothing now!" she cried. "I have nothing to lose! So why should I save this place?!"


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five: TRAPPED

When Doug woke up the next day, he was confused about his surroundings at first. There was a faint light struggling to show through heavy drapes in a dark room. Then he noticed Valentine cuddled up next to him on the couch and everything came back to him. He smiled as he watched her sleep, her face slightly resting on the side of his chest. She was so damn cute. There was nowhere that he'd rather be more than right here with her.

Then he suddenly remembered that there was somewhere else that he _needed_ to be. Nora's image flashed into his head, her lower optic raised slightly to express her joy. He thought of the way that she would look at Wheatley so admiringly. But the image of her battered, shuddering case after Wheatley had intentionally knocked her off her rail filled his mind. Her optic opened wide and her pupil shrank in fear as the betrayal of Wheatley hit her.

_Am I betraying Nora by staying here as long as I have?_

The thought had barely run through his mind before he quickly pushed it away. He had left to get help. That's what he was out here to do; that's why he had been gone for so long. But how much closer _was_ he to having the help he needed to go back into Aperture? He had Wheatley but that was it. He wasn't about to ask Chell to go back with him. Really, he hadn't made much progress at all.

_I've been trying to recuperate,_ he told himself. _That's why I still haven't gone back._

As he thought about this and stared up at the ceiling, he noticed it lowering very slowly. He looked around the room and the walls were closing in on him, too. He did his best to ignore it. None of it was real.

_I've been eating and getting extensive rest to regain my strength. It's important that I'm not nearly starving to death if I have to take down GLaDOS._

The walls and ceiling continued to close in on him, making his heart beat faster and faster.

_"Doug?"_ Nora's voice suddenly called out. _"Doug, where are you? I need you to help me get out! Where are you?!"_

Tears formed in his eyes and he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the shrinking room.

_"I'm scared, Doug!"_ Nora continued. _"I'm so scared! She's going to find me and kill me! I-I don't want to die!"_

"No," Doug muttered, covering his face with his arm that wasn't wrapped around Valentine. "Stop it. You're not actually saying these things."

_"Doug, I already lost Wheatley! I can't lose you, too!"_

This just sounded too real, and it broke Doug's heart. He opened his eyes and the room was back to its normal size. However, he vaguely saw something all over the walls in the dark. He couldn't quite make it out, and he had to squint before he could see it. The word "TRAPPED" was written all over the walls and ceiling in dark red in _his_ handwriting.

"Oh god," he murmured. "I need to get out of here. I shouldn't have stayed so long."

He looked down at Valentine as she continued to snooze on him. His eyes watered again at the thought of leaving her. She would surely hate him for it.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

Very carefully so as not to wake her, he slipped off of the couch, and lied her down gently in his place. She shifted a little, muttering something in her sleep. Luckily, though, she didn't wake up. Doug's face turned red as he pulled his clothes back on him. Then he crept over to the door and quietly slipped through. He took a few hesitant steps down the hall until he broke out into a sprint. He hurried down the stairs and back to the siblings' apartment. He tried to slow down and open the door calmly, but the echoes of Nora's voice in his mind still haunted him.

"Morning, Doug," Spencer said from the kitchen as he watched the other man scramble around the room. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"I need to go, Spencer," Doug said quickly. "I just need to go. I've been gone for too long."

"Whoa! Come on now," Spencer said, setting down his cup of coffee. "You can't just leave. Did you guys have an argument last night or something?"

"No! That's the problem!" Doug said, grabbing the Cup and searching for his lab coat. "If I stay with her any longer, I won't be able to go back for Nora!"

"She's just a machine!"

Doug spun around and grabbed the front of Spencer's shirt with both hands, fury burning in his eyes. "She's not just a machine," he said in a low, threatening tone. "She's my best friend and is nicer to me than any human being has ever been." Realization suddenly hit him and he stumbled back a little as he let go of Spencer. "Oh my god. I….I'm sorry, Spencer. I don't know why I did that. Just….Tell Valentine that I left because I'm not good enough for her."

Spencer ran a hand through his hair in agitation. "Fine," he said. "I'll tell her. And don't be sorry about grabbing me. Now we're even for me holding a knife to you."

Doug turned back around, scanned the room for his lab coat, and just decided to give up on it. He started for the door but Spencer stopped him.

"Here," he said, pulling something out of the closet. He handed a metal baseball bat to Doug. "You might need it."

"Um….Thanks," Doug said awkwardly. "And thanks for letting me stay here. You've both been very helpful."

"You better leave before Val comes back down here," Spencer said. "It was nice knowing you."

Doug was about to say that he might actually come back, but he couldn't be sure of that. "Nice knowing you, too," Doug said before running out the door.

_"So we're leaving now?"_ the Cup asked as Doug ran back in the direction that he'd come from before in Spencer's truck. _"We're leaving without Wheatley or any supplies?"_

_No time,_ Doug thought. _I have to leave this town now._

He ran until he got to the edge of the first wheat field before he had to stop. He dropped the bat and Cup, and doubled over as he tried to catch his breath. His pulse was pounding in his ears. It was oddly distorted and it seemed to grow louder with every breath he took. He didn't realize that it wasn't his pulse until something collided with his back. The air was knocked from his lungs as he fell to the ground, fear quickly filling every inch of him. Was this the Combine soldiers that the siblings had told him about? Had they come back to reclaim the town?

"Just where the fuck do you think _you're_ going?" a voice yelled in his ear. A female voice.

Doug tried to get out a response but she was still pinning him down, making it hard for him to catch his breath. She decided to get off of him long enough to flip him onto his back. She sat on his waist and pinned down his shoulders. There was so much seething rage in her eyes as she glared down at him. She looked like nothing could have stopped her from catching up with him, and that it had been a futile act on Doug's part to try to leave.

"V-Valentine..." was all that Doug managed to get out.

"Shut up!" she yelled at him, pressing down on his shoulders. She almost looked completely psychotic, and Doug found it very strange that that was attractive to him. "You were trying to leave me! You went running off to Aperture and you didn't even give me a fucking explanation!"

Doug started to wonder if this was even happening at all. Was this just another delusion brought on by his guilt?

"H-How did you catch up to me so quickly?" he asked.

She didn't answer at first, and Doug suddenly noticed that she was trying really hard not to show how out of breath she was. "You'd be surprised what I can do when I want something bad enough," she finally said.

"Val….I need to get—"

"You want to get your friend Nora out of Aperture," she finished curtly. "Right? Well, to ensure that you make it back to town, I'm going to join you."

"No!" Doug said, struggling to climb out from underneath her and stand up. "Absolutely not! You could die in there!"

"So could _you!"_ Valentine shouted, standing up, too.

"What about your daughter?!"

"She has Spencer and my mom to take care of her!"

Doug studied her face, hoping to find a hint of hesitation. He couldn't find any. She was set on going into Aperture with him, no matter the costs.

_"This girl is completely insane,"_ the Cup said. _"Maybe you should just try to make a run for it."_

"Okay," he resigned.

"Okay?"

"I obviously can't stop you from following me there," he said. "Feel free to turn back any time, though."

Valentine smiled smugly about getting her way. "I'm glad you're not going to fight me on this."

"There would be no point."

Doug led her into the wheat field, trying to hide how happy he actually was that she would be going in with him.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six: Tension Rises

Wheatley woke up bright and early with Chell snuggled against him on the couch. His chest felt like it was swelling as he looked down at her and smiled. He was quickly distracted, though, by his stomach growling at him for breakfast. He lightly shook Chell awake who seemed very embarrassed to have fallen asleep on him.

"Let's get some breakfast," he suggested. "I'm starving."

"Uh, yeah, okay," Chell said, standing up quickly and causing her to get a head rush. "Let me just brush my hair and teeth really quick."

Wheatley stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "Hey, do you have an extra toothbrush here that I could use?" he asked.

"Um, no, I don't think so," Chell called back from the bathroom. "Why don't you try checking some of the boxes in the kitchen, though?"

"The kitchen?" he mumbled as he headed for the room.

Sure enough, there were boxes sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Wheatley hadn't noticed these boxes last night, but he had been pretty preoccupied with other things. He opened some of them and rummaged through them quickly, not looking through them too thoroughly. He did manage to find a box containing bathroom necessities like shampoo, soap bars, hairbrushes, and toothbrushes.

After Chell finished in the bathroom, Wheatley went in to brush his teeth. There was a weird tension between them as they passed each other. Wheatley couldn't pinpoint what this was exactly, but he knew he didn't like it.

* * *

The diner was buzzing this morning with the newcomers. They were impressed with the establishment, and Phil couldn't stop beaming proudly as he made conversation with the diners. His eyes looked so tired but he was still able to match the energy around him.

"I really should volunteer here sometime," Chell said as she watched Phil hurry from the counter to the kitchen and back. "Phil needs more help here."

"Maybe I ought to help, as well," Wheatley said. "It could be fun."

Chell didn't respond as she moved her scrambled eggs around on her plate. Wheatley could still sense the tension and it made him squirm as he finished his pancakes. He looked out the window, then around at the other diners. He drummed his fingers on the table uncomfortably.

"Wheatley?"

He jumped a little and looked at her, happy for once that he didn't have to be the one to start a conversation. Chell was still looking down at her plate which still had egg on it.

"What is this between us?" she asked, not looking up. "What are we now? Are we still friends? Are we something more?"

"Well…." Wheatley thought for a moment, looking up at the sky outside. "I don't know. I mean, what do _you_ want?"

"I don't know," Chell said. "This is so weird for me. I've never been, um….romantic with anyone before."

"Do you perhaps want to—what do you humans call it? 'Going out'?"

Chell looked at Wheatley, her cheeks growing hot and her stomach knotting. "But I thought you were with Nora. You said all of that stuff about how you two—"

"I do love her," Wheatley said. Now he was the one avoiding eye-contact. "And she did love me. But I don't think she loves me anymore. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I said some pretty horrid things to her. She probably hates me now."

Chell felt guilty as a sliver of hope and relief spiked in her. "Wheatley, you don't know that," she said. "She might have forgiven you—"

"Well, I don't think she should, to be perfectly honest," Wheatley said. "I was an absolute prat. She deserves much better. And honestly, so do you."

"Don't say stuff like that." Chell placed her hand over his. "You're great."

Wheatley gave her a smile but he didn't feel any better.

* * *

After breakfast, they decided to part ways. Chell went back to her apartment while Wheatley returned to where he was staying. When he opened the patio door, he could hear grumbling and cursing coming from the kitchen. He went to investigate and was met with Spencer sitting on the floor. He was holding his nose and his hands were covered with blood.

"What happened?!" Wheatley asked, cringing at the sight of blood. It reminded him too much of Aperture.

"My stupid sister punched me in the fucking face!" Spencer growled. "I told her that Doug went back to Aperture, and when I tried to stop her from chasing after him, she hit me!"

"Wait, Doug went back to Aperture?!" Wheatley asked, becoming angry. "He said that he would take me with him! I can't believe the nerve of him! I'm going after him right now! But I have to get Chell first. Ugh! I just—I can't believe him!"

He started to make his way back to the door, but Spencer stopped him.

"If you see my sister," he said, "tell her to get her dumb ass back home before she gets herself killed!"

"Yeah, I will," Wheatley said. "I promise I will."

He ran back outside and toward Chell's apartment. He had to stop several times to catch his breath, but he eventually made it back. He knocked on her door and panted heavily, leaning against the wall. Chell opened the door and gave him a confused look.

"So what's up?" she asked after a few seconds of him just panting.

"D….Doug….went back…..He went back to Aperture!" he finally managed to say. "We have to go! Right now!"

"What? Why would he leave without you?" she asked.

"I don't know!" he said. "He's bloody mad! But we need to go!"

Chell looked back into her apartment for a moment, thinking about if there was anything that she should bring with her. She remembered some crucial tools in her room and she hurried to dig them out of her closet.

"Um, Chell?" Wheatley called from the hallway, confused. "Are you not coming now?"

When Chell came back, she was wearing a pair of Long Fall Boots and holding an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device.

"I kept these as souvenirs," she explained. "It looks like it was a good thing I did, too. Let's get going. We don't want Doug to start the fun without us."


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven: Two Paths Meet

It had been later in the day than Doug had thought when he left town. When Aperture was finally in view on the horizon, the sun had set. The only light came from the stars and the crescent moon.

"We should probably sleep," Valentine said. "I'm so goddamn tired right now."

_"You_ can sleep," Doug said. "I'll stay awake to watch out for anything."

"I'm too scared to sleep out here," she admitted. "I hate the dark and there could be—Oh shit!"

Valentine grabbed the baseball bat from Doug and swung it down on something that was crawling through the grass. There was a disgusting, squishy thump and a distorted chirping sound as Valentine hit her target. Doug stared wide-eyed at what was laying limp in the wheat. It appeared to be a mound of flesh with four sharp-looking, crab-like legs splayed out to all sides.

"What…was….?"

"It was one of those things I was telling you about," Valentine said, jabbing at it with the bat to make sure it was dead. "They latch onto your head and take control of your body. Since we found _this_ one, there are probably more creeping around here."

"Are you still tired?" Doug asked, hoping she would get some rest if he promised to be on the lookout.

"Hell no!" Valentine said, resting the bat on her shoulder. "I've got too much adrenaline running through me now. I'll be fine."

They continued on their way, Valentine scanning the field while anxiety slowly seeped into Doug like sand. As Aperture became bigger and clearer, Doug couldn't help but have second thoughts about delving back in. He was scared; there was no doubt about that. There was always the risk of death in Aperture. However, there was someone new going in with him. A mother. A sister. A daughter. The love of his life. So many people's lives would be ruined if she never came back.

These upsetting thoughts were interrupted when Valentine suddenly veered off to the right, holding her bat up. She swung it down at something in the wheat, but the creature jumped around her. Doug only saw the top of its black form pop up over the wheat before it fell back to the ground and scuttled toward Doug.

He took a few steps back, terrified of what might happen if the thing so much as touched him. It continued to pursue him until he kicked the creature as hard as he could, sending it flying above the wheat. It looked like a very large black spider with only four legs.

Valentine took this opportunity to step toward it and whack it with her bat in mid-air. Viscous, greenish-yellow pus burst out of it from the impact, and the creature flew over Doug's head toward the forest to the left of the field.

"Aw man, you're lucky," Valentine said. "That was a poisonous one. If it bit you, I don't know if I could have dragged you back to town in time."

"Oh. Great," Doug said sarcastically, his foot hurting from kicking the little monster. "There are poisonous ones, too. Any other kinds I should know about?"

"Yeah, there's one that's really fast," Valentine said. "I don't think there are any other kinds, though. Just keep an eye out."

As they continued their trek, Doug decided not to let his worries distract him. He really didn't want one of those fleshy crab-things to get anywhere near his head. Luckily, the rest of the way to the facility was uneventful. They stopped at the chain-link fence where Doug collapsed on the ground.

"Doug?" Valentine asked anxiously. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm just exhausted," Doug said, sitting on the grass at the edge of the wheat. "I just need to rest for a while."

"Go ahead and take a nap," Valentine said. "I'll keep watch."

Doug didn't have to be told twice. He lied down in the grass—setting the Cup just a little way from him—and used his arm beneath him as a pillow. Valentine sat behind him with the metal bat laid across her crossed legs. It didn't take long for Doug to slip into a deep sleep.

* * *

"How bloody dare you!"

Doug woke up to a rough shove on his shoulder by a shoe. He scrambled to sit up and noticed Valentine had also been startled awake.

"Sorry, Doug," she mumbled. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Doug looked up at the person who had rudely woken him up. It was still dark out but he could barely make out Wheatley glaring down at Doug furiously.

"Why did you just leave without telling me?!"Wheatley demanded. "We were supposed to go back together!"

"Wheatley, don't push him!" Chell said, jogging to catch up with him. She looked down at Doug awkwardly. "Uh, hey, Doug."

"Hi," Doug mumbled. "Wheatley, I didn't mean to run off without you—"

"But you _did!"_ Wheatley shouted. "What made you suddenly bugger off back to Aperture? And Valentine, your brother wants you to go back home!"

"Well, I'm not going to," Valentine said, standing up and brushing dirt off her skirt. "I think that should have been pretty clear when I gave him a bloody nose."

"Wait, what?" Doug asked, standing up, as well. "Why did you give him a bloody nose?"

"He was trying to restrain me!" she shouted. "He….I don't like to be physically restrained! It makes me uncomfortable!"

Doug couldn't argue with this. He didn't think it was a good idea for her to have hit her brother, but at the same time, he could understand why she did it.

"Well, let's go in!" Wheatley said. "Come on! Why are you wasting time sleeping?"

"I don't want to go in there exhausted, Wheatley," Doug said. "I need to be aware and ready. Aren't _you_ tired? Do you really want to go in there and possibly face GLaDOS without resting first?"

Wheatley wanted to argue more, but he did have to admit that he was pretty tired.

"I agree with Doug on this," Chell chimed in. "The only sleep that I got in Aperture was being put in stasis and being knocked out from falling down that pit."

"Well, I suppose a quick nap would be a good idea," he admitted. "We should get our rest in now while we can."

He sat down on the grass and lied on his back with his hands folded on his stomach. Doug sighed heavily and lied back down. Valentine hesitantly decided to lie down with him, abandoning her job as lookout. Chell sat down awkwardly, her Long Fall Boots making it a little difficult.

"Aren't you going to get some sleep?" Wheatley asked.

"I don't know," Chell said. "I'm too nervous right now."

"This might be your last chance at getting some rest for a while," Doug pointed out.

Chell gave in and lied down next to Wheatley. She put enough distance between them, though, so that there wasn't a chance of them making physical contact. Wheatley didn't seem to notice.

* * *

Doug woke up, once again, to someone shaking him awake. This time, it was Valentine.

"I think I hear people in the woods," she said quietly.

Doug sat up anxiously and looked toward the trees. He could vaguely hear voices, too. The sun was finally up and everything was wet with dew.

"Uh, hey, Chell," Doug said, gently tapping her shoulder. "Wake up. There are people nearby."

Chell slowly woke up and looked around. "Hm? Where?" she asked groggily.

"In the trees."

They woke Wheatley and convinced him to keep quiet as they listened carefully to the voices. Soon, they could make out words that were being said.

"It's so nice out!" a male said. "Look at the trees! I haven't seen a tree in so long!"

"Jon, look at the little flowers in the grass!" a female said excitedly. "They're so cute!"

"They _are_ kinda cute," the male replied. "Want me to make a flower crown for you?"

"What about me?" a male with a slightly deeper voice asked playfully. "I want to be a flower princess, too."

"Amelia, can't we just take a minute to soak this all in?" a man with a friendly Southern accent asked. "I just want a minute to look around and enjoy the smells of outside."

"I want to get to Aperture first," a young woman—supposedly Amelia—said. "Then we can take a minute to look around. I've never been to the Midwest before so the scenery is new to me."

"Hey, guys," Wheatley whispered in a not-so-quiet voice. "I think they're also wanting to get into Aperture. What should we do?"

There was a silent pause of uncertainty among them before Chell decided to be the one to speak up.

"I think our best course of action would be to just talk to them. They might have useful equipment that we don't have."

"I guess so," Doug mumbled warily. He just didn't want to have to talk to new people.

Chell led them toward the gate of the chain-link fence. If the people in the woods were going to enter Aperture, they would surely try the gate first.

When they were only a few yards away from the gate, the other group suddenly emerged from the trees. Their leader seemed to be a very young woman with creamy skin and brown hair tied up in a bun. In fact, they were all pretty young except for the large blonde man in their group who appeared to be at least ten years older. A fairly short young man with messy, dark hair and matching facial hair closely followed behind their leader. There were two other young men—one a bit slimmer with light brown hair that fell straight down to his shoulders; the other was more heavy-set with a thick black beard that was trimmed and black curly hair. Standing close to the heavy-set guy was another young woman with long, light brown hair, and freckles all over her cheeks and nose.

The two groups stopped and stared at each other for a few tense seconds. Neither group was at all sure of the intentions of the other. The people who had emerged from the woods even looked a little scared.

"Hello!" Wheatley said, being the first to step forward. "My name is Wheatley. This is Chell, Doug, and Valentine. What brings you all to Aperture?"

The other group just stared at him for a few seconds.

"Uh, hi," their leader said. "My name is Amelia. This is Mikey, Arin, Jon, Natalie, and Nate." She gestured toward each person as she introduced them. "Um, we're just here to explore the facility to see if there's anything we can do to help here."

"We heard about something happening in Aperture that caused it to be locked down," Mikey chimed in. "Do you guys know anything about that?"

_"Do_ we!" Wheatley exclaimed. "This is your lucky day! Absolutely lucky! I used to be a Personality Construct in the facility!"

"A construct?" Arin asked skeptically. "Like a machine?"

"I know it may be hard to believe," Wheatley went on. "But it's completely true. And this young woman here used to be a test subject that was trapped inside. She was forced to perform tests by GLaDOS."

"GLaDOS?" Amelia echoed. "GLaDOS…..Oh! You mean the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System?"

"Yeah! That's her!" Wheatley said.

"You're well-researched in the facility," Doug said, slightly impressed.

"We've been waiting for evidence that there's someone still alive in the facility for such a long time," Amelia said. "We still don't have any, but we decided to come out here anyway. We're from a compound deep underground where we have a community of the families of Black Mesa workers."

"Black Mesa?" Doug asked, his eyebrows rising. "That's pretty far away."

"Yes, it is," Amelia said. "But this is what my mother wanted." She turned back to Wheatley. "So you used to be a machine? How did you become human?"

"Or did Aperture come up with a very convincing android?" Arin asked.

"It's….You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Wheatley said. "But as I used to watch over humans in the facility, I found Chell alive in there and guided her around until we accidentally reactivated GLaDOS. See, GLaDOS killed everyone with neurotoxin years ago. Everyone but Doug here."

Amelia looked back to Doug. He was so scrawny and constantly looked on-edge. It made her wonder what was in Aperture that made him look this way.

"You used to work here?" she asked Doug, gesturing toward the facility.

"Yeah," Doug said uncomfortably. "I used to be a programmer here. I was trapped in this forsaken place for years. I helped Chell a little, too."

_"More_ than a little," Chell added.

"Huh." Amelia then turned to Valentine. "What about you? What are your ties to this place?"

"I'm just here to cling to _this_ guy," Valentine said, linking arms with Doug who smiled bashfully.

"You know, this actually works out pretty well," Arin said. "I mean, we don't really know how to navigate inside the facility."

"If they escaped Aperture, what makes you think they want to go back?" Mikey asked Arin. There seemed to be a hint of tension between the two.

"Actually, that's why we're here," Wheatley said. "See, when I was put in charge of the facility for a while, I was monstrously awful to my friend Nora. She was my absolute best friend. Such a sweet girl. And she's still in there with GLaDOS. Doug left to find help but decided to try to sneak back without me—"

"Wheatley, that's enough," Chell said. "They don't need to know every little detail."

"Well, this is extremely convenient," Amelia said. "Would you like to share our equipment if you help us get through the facility? It would be great to help get someone out of there."

It occurred to Doug that this group of people hadn't quite caught on that Nora wasn't a human, but he didn't bring this up out of fear that they wouldn't want to help save a machine.

"Before we go in, though," Jon said, "I really want to climb a tree. Can we take a break before we go inside?"

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt," Amelia said. "Fifteen minutes, then we need to get going while we're all still refreshed."

The group from underground took their time marveling at the plants, climbing trees, or just staring up at the sky. Doug and Chell were so empathetic toward this, and they couldn't stop smiling.


	38. Chapter Thirty-Eight: Splitting Up

When it was finally time to enter the facility, Nate took a pair of bolt cutters from a duffle bag and cut the chain that kept the gate shut. Doug decided to set the Cup next to the fence to prevent it from shattering if he dropped it while running in the facility. They walked across a cracked parking lot and around to the front of the building. They approached a windowless door that served as the public entrance. Arin suggested that it was probably the most accessible door inside. Doug remembered field trips of children coming through the doors to see the fairly harmless side of Aperture. They hit their first dilemma with the deadbolt lock that held the door firmly shut.

"I can't cut through a deadbolt," Nate said. "Anybody have any ideas? Doug? Chell?"

"Nope," Chell said while Doug just shook his head.

"Do you suppose we could pick the lock?" Wheatley asked.

"Wheatley—"

"Just hear me out, Chell," Wheatley interrupted. "There are plenty of twigs out in the woods, right?"

"Stop right there," Doug interjected. "You would have to find two twigs that were as thin as a wire but as strong as steel so they wouldn't snap. Do you really think we can find twigs like that?"

"No, I suppose we probably wouldn't," Wheatley said, slightly crestfallen. "At least not soon."

There were a few seconds of silence in which some of them tried to think of a way inside while others just stood around awkwardly.

"Well, it was a fun trip out here," Jon said jokingly. "Can't say we didn't try. Might as well go home."

"Wait, how did _you_ get out, Doug?" Wheatley asked. "Maybe we could just use the way that you used to leave."

"Uuuuh…." Doug thought about how he'd clawed his way through the dirt to reach the surface. "The way I got out wasn't easy, and I think it would be even harder to get back _in_ that way."

"We might as well try," Chell said.

"Well, there was an office that had a chunk of the ceiling missing," Doug said, feeling uncomfortable with everyone's attention on him. "It was packed with dirt so I…uh…I guess I burrowed my way out."

"It shouldn't be too hard to get in that way," Nate said. "We just gotta dig for a while and make a nice wide hole until the rest of the dirt collapses into the office."

"Good idea, Nate," Amelia said.

"But how are we supposed to dig?" Arin asked.

"Hm. You got a point there, Arin," Nate said.

"Hey, Doug," Arin said. "You used to work here, right? Don't you have any keys or anything?"

"Yeah, I did," Doug said. "Years ago. They're long gone by now."

"Oh."

_"Need a hand?"_ Only Wheatley and Amelia heard this voice, but it sounded like both Li and Lee speaking at the same time.

Suddenly, the lock clicked and the door creaked open a little.

"We did it!" Jon exclaimed.

"Wait, what happened?" Arin asked. He pushed the door open slightly and peered into an empty lobby. "Hello?" he called. "Is anybody in here?"

"Do you see anyone?" Natalie asked.

"No," Arin said. "The room is empty."

"Ha!" Wheatley suddenly said. "See? I'm _not_ bloody crazy! It was Li! That woman who made me into a human in space!"

"Lee?" Amelia murmured, deciding that maybe this guy wasn't so crazy for believing he was a machine.

"Well, whatever it was, we might want to stay on our guard for now," Nate said. "I don't like the idea of a person creeping around here who can magically unlock doors and disappear."

"It's probably just a ghost," Jon said. "Or many ghosts. You guys said a lot of people died here, right?"

Doug shuddered at the idea of souls being trapped in Aperture.

"I'll go first," Chell offered. "I've got the Long Fall Boots and portal gun so it might be safer for me to lead."

"Sorry, portal what?" Arin asked.

"It shoots portals onto special surfaces," Wheatley explained. "It's sciencey."

Chell led them slowly into the facility. They entered a large lobby with chairs sitting along the walls. The white tiles of the floor and ceiling were grimy. There was a layer of dust covering every surface. Plants grew out between some of the tiles. It was a total mess.

"Why are there so many plants everywhere?" Amelia wondered. "The facility hasn't been shut down for more than 15 years."

"I don't think these grew entirely naturally," Mikey said, going up to one of the plants to examine one. "Yeah, this isn't natural. This stem is way too thick for ivy. It had to have been enhanced in some way."

"I think the botany department must have gotten out of control once there was nobody to regulate the plant growth," Doug said. "It seems like _everything_ went out of control once everyone was gassed."

They went to the back of the room to a door that led to several different departments. They opened the door to find a long hallway of more doors.

"Okay, let's split up into teams," Amelia said. "Mikey and I can be team A. Jon, Arin, and Natalie can be team B. Um….Wheatley, how are you guys going to split up?"

"Uh, we didn't really think about that," Wheatley said. He turned to his companions. "Was that the plan? To split up into teams?"

"Not really," Doug said. "How are we going to keep in contact?"

"Oh, hold on." Amelia set down the bag she had strapped to her back and rummaged through it. She took out three walkie-talkies. She kept one of them and handed the other two to Wheatley.

"Here you go, Doug," Wheatley said, giving one of them to Doug. "You and Valentine can be team D. We'll be team C."

"Mind if I join you and Chell then?" Nate asked Wheatley.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Wheatley said, though he really just wanted to be alone with Chell.

"Okay, where do we all want to go now?" Amelia asked.

"I already have a place in mind," Doug spoke up. "I want to check GLaDOS' chamber to see what's going on with her."

"Good idea," Amelia said. "We should know what the enemy is up to. Anyone else have anything in mind?"

"Team C can go check out the testing area," Chell volunteered. "I've got the gear and experience."

"Sounds good," Amelia said. "I mean, only if you guys are comfortable with that."

"Of course I'm comfortable with it!" Wheatley said. "I designed some tests of my own here!"

"I've got no qualms with it either," Nate said.

"Dibs on administration!" Jon said.

"Double dibs!" Arin chimed in.

"Triple!" Natalie said.

"Okay, okay," Amelia said. "Team B can have the administration offices. "That leaves us, Mikey. What do you want to do?"

"How about manufacturing?" Mikey suggested with a shrug.

"That actually sounds really interesting," Amelia said. "Your loss, team B. Now listen up. Always keep your walkie-talkie on but try to keep communication to a minimum. We don't want to risk being heard. Also, if anyone gets hurt, just say you need the medic over the walk-talkie. Your team should try to make it back to the lobby. Nate and his team will meet you here."

"Quick question."

"Yes, Jon?" Amelia asked.

"I think we should split up the Aperture guys," Jon said. "We need to have someone on our team who can help us get around."

"Good point," Amelia said. "Wheatley, maybe you should move to team B and Arin can go to team C."

"What? No!" Wheatley whined. "That's not fair! I wanted to be on the same team as Chell?"

"And why is that?" Doug mumbled.

"What did you say?" Wheatley snapped.

"Guys, stop," Chell said. "It's fine. Wheatley, just go to the other team. It'll be fine."

"But I….Ugh! Alright, fine! I'll go with bloody team B!"

"Okay," Amelia said as Wheatley and Arin switched teams. "Is there anything else we want to discuss before going in?"

Everyone was silent save for Wheatley's sighs of annoyance.

"Then let's go," Amelia said. "Good luck everyone. Stay safe."


	39. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nightmare Realized

**AN: Okay, some of you might be a bit disturbed by this chapter. Just be ready for anything.**

Doug led Valentine close to GLaDOS' chamber. They crawled through a few vents to save time—which Valentine had to admit was actually kind of fun. When they made it to the hallway just before the walkway to her chamber, Doug stopped. He leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" Valentine asked.

"Yeah," Doug said, but obviously not okay. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Doug…You're going to try to confront her directly, aren't you?"

He looked up from the filthy floor at her. "How did you know?"

"I don't think you would be this nervous if you were just going to scope the place out," Valentine said.

"Well, yeah," Doug said, looking down again. "I want to try to talk to GLaDOS."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"No. Absolutely not. But I'm hoping that maybe I can trick GLaDOS into giving me some kind of clue as to where Nora could be."

"I bet _I_ could trick her," Valentine said with a sly grin. "My mom always says I was a manipulative kid."

Doug gave her a fearful look. "No, Valentine, please stay out here," he said. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Well, I don't want anything to happen to _you!"_ Valentine countered defiantly. "Let me go with you!"

"No, _please_," Doug said desperately. "Just wait here, okay? There's a very strong possibility that I won't be able to reach the core's humanity so you need to be ready to run."

"How will I know if things go wrong?"

"Trust me. You'll know."

"What about you? Will you be able to get out safely?"

Doug hesitated with his response because he knew she wouldn't like it. "There's a chance that I might need to hide from her," he said. "Which I've pretty much mastered at this point. However, I'm not sure if I will be able to make it outside with you."

"Doug, please don't leave me alone," Valentine begged. "I'm too scared. I don't think I can get out fast enough."

Doug silenced her with a gentle kiss on the lips. "Everything will be alright," he said. "I promise." Then he turned around and headed down the corridor, his mind swimming from kissing her.

He turned right and faced a long walkway with glass walls that looked out into an empty space with sludge covering the floor. This was it. No chickening out. If anyone could find Nora, it was GLaDOS. His footsteps were deafening in the silence around him and he almost took comfort in this familiarity. It didn't really help pump up his courage, though, for he knew that GLaDOS would be able to hear him coming. His knees started to shake as his fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. If he couldn't do this, though, he may never have a chance at finding Nora.

The large door lifted as he came closer.

_ "Substitute for mainframe ready for plug-in."_

Steel cables and wires flew out of the chamber at him. They stabbed into the back of his neck and dug themselves underneath his skin. He screamed like he never had before at the excruciating agony. More cables fought their way into his shoulder blades like mechanical wings, and he could now feel his blood gushing down his back. He was pulled deeper into the chamber as the wires worked their way to the base of his skull. They wrapped themselves around the top of his spine and down the inside of his arms to get a better hold of him. A current of electricity traveled into his skull, and he could feel a vast, almost infinite library of data being poured into his brain.

Then he realized what was happening.

"No!" he screamed, attempting to rip himself from the wires. "God, no! Please! Not this! Anything but this! I don't want this! I'm not a fucking core, you stupid mainframe! No! Don't!" He started sobbing with desperation. "Please don't do this! I'm _human!_ I'm not a good substitute for a core!"

_"In the unlikely event that there are no personality cores available for the mainframe," _the usual robotic voice recited, _"a human intelligence substitute may be forcefully connected to the system."_

"Doug!" Valentine cried out as she entered the chamber to see him writhing in pain.

"Valentine, go!" Doug cried. "Run! Get out of here while you can!"

"W-W-What's happening?!" Valentine asked, her voice quivering.

One last charge of electricity ran through his body before it was toned down to just a tingling sensation. Doug dropped to his hands and knees as the process was completed. He bowed his head low to the ground and continued to sob. His head was pounding with the overwhelming amount of information that now felt stuffed into his brain. Right above him was the chassis of the system where the wires hung down before burrowing into his body. He could feel the system already healing his wounds with all of its available resources.

_"Human intelligence transfer complete. Welcome to the Aperture Science Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System mainframe."_

"Doug?" Valentine asked cautiously. "A-Are you okay?"

"No!" Doug yelled. The chamber trembled with his anger. "I'm not okay! I've been directly connected to my greatest fear for the past fifteen years! I'm hooked up to this crazy supercomputer that an insane man designed to become immortal! I've become what GLaDOS was! I'm barely human now!"

"Where _is_ GLaDOS?" Valentine asked.

Before Doug could answer, a sort of memory played through his mind. It was like he was seeing through _her_ eye. He could see GLaDOS toying with the bodies of subjects in stasis. The last one was a small young woman with fair skin and fair hair. It was Nora's human body. And he could feel her presence in the mainframe.

"Oh god," Doug muttered. "She was here. Nora was attached to the mainframe with GLaDOS and…..Caroline…."

The memory continued, showing a young man jump down from the ceiling and attack Nora's body with a large wrench. Nora's rage filled every fiber of him through the memory. He didn't know she could ever feel this kind of anger. She tried to squeeze the young man to death with a claw, but he was able to wiggle free. He took the wrench and attempted to pry off GLaDOS' head. Doug could actually feel a wringing sensation on the back of his neck. He groaned as it almost became unbearable with the combination of the stinging pain from the wires and cables before the memory ended.

"Doug?" Valentine asked cautiously.

"A man….A young man seemed to have pried off her….her head," Doug whimpered. He suddenly sat up and began laughing. "Her _head!_ He accomplished what I was too cowardly to! And now I've become what _she_ was! Do you think someone will come along and try to take off _my_ head, too?" He continued to laugh maniacally.

"Doug, stop," Valentine said, cringing. "Don't say stuff like that. It's not funny."

"I'm a monster, Valentine!" Doug half-yelled, half-laughed. Tears started rolling down his cheeks again. "I'm not trying to be funny! I'm actually hoping a little that that happens before I end up killing someone I love!"

"Shut up!" Valentine snapped angrily. "Don't say that! Anyone would have to go through me before they could try to kill you! Can't you find Nora now? Don't you have access to the entire facility now?"

"Not the _whole_ place," Doug said with an edge to his voice. The laughing stopped as irritation took ahold of him. "There are still areas that I can't reach. And besides…" He put his hand up to his throbbing head and held it in frustration. A shiver crawled down his spine.

"What?" Valentine asked. "What is it?"

"I…I can already feel _it,"_ Doug growled. "The Itch. It's a craving—an absolute _need_—to test."

"Test what?"

"Humans." Doug said this with such a self-loathing that it made Valentine flinch.

"Doug…." She cautiously walked toward him.

"Stay away from me!" he cried out. "I might hurt you!"

"Y-You won't hurt me."

"You don't know that!" Doug yelled at her. "You don't know what Aperture's system will make me do! This Itch will only get worse and I won't feel better until I get results! You need to run! Get out of h—"

Valentine silenced him with a sharp slap across the face. Doug's heart throbbed more than his whole body did from this and he gave Valentine a look of pain. She seemed angry as she kneeled down in front of him.

"I told you that I'm not leaving you here," she said in a hard tone. She gripped his face with one hand. "I love you, stupid. If I need to, I'll bring legions of humans down here for you to test if it would just make you happy."

Doug stared at her in disbelief. "Don't you remember anything that I told you about Wheatley's time in the system?" he asked. "Don't you remember how I described his abuse toward Nora?"

"There's a difference between him and you," Valentine said. "He succumbed to the mainframe's power over him because he was weak and ignorant. You're smart, resourceful, brave, et cetera. You're strong enough to fight the system. It won't control you like it did Wheatley."

"You…really think that?" Doug asked.

"Of course I do," Valentine said.

She took him in her arms and held him while he sobbed loudly into her shoulder. His life felt over now. He might as well have died right then. The option of death lingered in his mind and it scared the hell out of him.

_"You should do it,"_ a voice in his mind said. _"Just kill yourself now before you hurt anyone."_

Doug suddenly stopped crying.

"You know, you were right," he said, not taking his face out of her shoulder. "There are key differences between Wheatley's situation and mine. He wasn't goddamn insane."

"Doug—"

"Do you really think I should be in charge of the facility when I'm like this?!" he asked, pushing her away as he stood up. "This place is going to collapse in on itself from my crazy delusions!"

He stopped as his mind started to clear up from all of the paranoid thoughts that rushed through his head. It made him feel a little better until he detected a slight rhythmic buzzing that came from a tube in the back of his neck.

"No!" he shouted, looking up at the chassis since he didn't know how to directly address the system. "Don't pump chemicals into my brain! Don't try to fix me! I don't like the idea of you trying to fix me!"

"Doug, you're starting to scare me a little," Valentine said. She was obviously on the verge of tears again.

"Valentine, you should go," Doug tried to say calmly. "I just—I need some time. This is really hard for me right now. I just need you to be away from me right now so that I know you're safe."

"Doug—"

"_Please_, Valentine."

She looked at him, his eyes wide with panic while tears still streamed down his face. She wanted to stay to comfort him but she respected his request.

"I'll just….go walk around," she said. Her voice was heavy with emotion. "You can just tell me if you want me to come back."

"I'm sorry, Val," Doug said, his voice breaking. "I love you. I love you so much and I don't want to hurt you."

"I know," she said. "I love you, too."

Valentine left the chamber and started to walk back down the glass walkway. She gave up three-fourths of the way down and curled up into a ball against one of the windows. She sobbed into her arms as pain washed over her. It was an internal pain that couldn't be soothed.

Back in the chamber, Doug could hear her crying in the walkway. He clenched his hair in his hands as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

"God, this has to be a hallucination," he mumbled. "Please let this just be another paranoid delusion. This can't be real."

The wires and tubes sticking out of his back, though, reminded him otherwise.


	40. Chapter Forty: Never Something Good

"So you were a robot, huh?" Jon asked Wheatley as they strolled from office to office.

"I would prefer to say construct," Wheatley answered grumpily, his arms crossed.

"Is there really a difference?" Natalie asked.

"_I_ think so," Wheatley said. "The word 'robot' sort of implies that I had arms and legs. I was actually more like a mechanical, gyroscopic ball with an eye."

"Sounds weird," Jon said. "I'm a cook down in the compound. It's not really as exciting as working _here_."

"Hm."

"So is Chell your girlfriend or something?" Natalie asked.

Wheatley became obviously flustered at this. "No," he said. "I mean, not really. I mean, I think we're just really good friends right now."

"Ohhh, so it's like _that_, huh?" Natalie asked with a sly look.

"Like what?" Wheatley asked.

"It's 'complicated', then?" Natalie asked.

"I don't know why you're using air quotes for that word," Wheatley said. "But yes, if you really want to stick your nose in my business, it is complicated. We're trying to work out our feelings right now. I was hoping to get the chance to talk to her while we're in the facility, but that didn't really work out, did it?"

"Oh. My bad," Jon said.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes as they did a quick scan of each office with a management rail going into it.

"So you mentioned something about being put in charge of this place, right?" Jon asked.

"Yes, I did."

"What was that like? Why aren't you in charge anymore?"

Wheatley recalled in his mind the uncomfortable itch and the power of being able to control everything around him. "It was alright at first," he explained. "Actually, it was bloody great. It was amazing being able to manipulate everything around me. But it quickly went downhill from there. I was awful to my friend Nora and I hurt her. Then the facility just sort of started falling apart. I wasn't paying attention to the slightly more important needs of the facility. Carbon monoxide levels, how high the fires were burning in the furnace, some of the nuclear-powered things needed a close watch on them. It was just too much to handle."

"Well, _I_ wouldn't be able to take that kind of pressure either, Wheatley," Jon said, giving him a quick pat on the back. "Also, nuclear-powered things? Should we be worried?"

"No, I don't think so," Wheatley said, waving it off. "Nothing like that to worry about at all. GLaDOS can handle managing all of that. Although she doesn't do it in a very stylish way. Everything is strictly business with her."

He suddenly jumped a little from a rumbling in the distance. It reminded him of when his chamber would shake when he was in control.

"What do you think _that_ was?" Jon asked.

"Nothing good," Wheatley said. "Rumbling is never something good in this place."

* * *

Chell was a bit closer to the mainframe's chamber so she felt the tremors more than Wheatley. She listened carefully, hoping to be able to hear what was going on through the walls.

"What was that?" Arin asked. "I _felt_ that."

"It can't be good," Chell said. "It always means that something is going wrong with the facility. I knew it was a bad idea to come back here."

"Then why _did_ you?" Arin asked. "I don't mean to pry."

"I didn't want to make my friends go in without me," Chell said. "Wheatley is the first friendly person I remember meeting in my life so I guess I came in here to protect him."

"Ah," Arin said. "I'm kind of in here to protect someone, too. Nate, don't you dare say a word to her about this but…..I've kind of had a little crush on our leader for a while."

"You have?" Nate asked, laughing a little. "Well, shoot, kid! It looks like _both_ of you ended up in the wrong group!"

"I'm just worried that that kid Mikey is going to weigh her down," Arin said. "I don't think he could carry her if she got hurt or something."


	41. Chapter Forty-One: Good News, Bad News

After Doug had a half hour to calm down a bit, he remembered that he should probably be checking on how the facility was running. It all looked fine so far. For now, though, he didn't want to worry about this. He searched the system and found that there was actually a program that automatically corrected all the levels of the facility. It was something that had turned off once GLaDOS left the mainframe. Wheatley must not have noticed it when he'd been in control.

He tried to call out to Valentine for her to come back, but she must not have been able to hear him from within the chamber. Reluctantly, he had to resort to using the intercom system in the hallway outside. He really didn't want to have to use any of his control of the facility for petty reasons like that. His main objective was to find Nora.

Valentine came back in hesitantly. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked.

"Not really," Doug said. "But I managed to stop panicking for now. There are only three things I want to use this power for. I want to find the kid that was in here before, I want to find Nora, and finally, I want to find someone to take over the facility. I can't just detach myself. I either have to give control to a core or suitable substitute, or I have to be…_forcibly_ removed."

"Well, shit," Valentine said. She sat down on the floor next to him. "Hey, it'll be okay. I can help you do all of those things if you need me to."

"I sort of want to talk to the kid alone," Doug said. "From one pack rat to another."

"You might think that that's an insult toward yourself," Valentine said, offering him a smile, "but rats are adorable."

Doug laughed a little. "You really are weird," he said. "But you know what to say to make me feel better."

Valentine scooted closer to him so that she could lean on his shoulder. He put his arm around her to hold her close to him. The thin wires that were digging into his shoulders made this motion a little uncomfortable. He didn't care, though. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms him right now.

"There is _one_ good thing that came from this," Valentine murmured.

"What would that be?" Doug asked, both skeptical and curious.

"You don't have to worry about running and hiding."

"I don't know if this is too much better."

"Do you still feel that itch?"

Doug hesitated before answering. "Yeah. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. It's just really annoying."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"Shut up and take my sympathy."

Doug smiled again. "I….I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have you here to get me through this," he said nervously. "The whole facility probably would have collapsed in on itself by now."

"Nah," she said. "You'd be able to get through this."

"I don't know if I could have," he said. He tried not to think of what self-harm he probably already would have inflicted if she weren't sitting with him now.

"So what should our next course of action be?" Valentine asked.

* * *

Amelia and Mikey walked through warehouse-type departments where various tools for testing were made. They had already passed the Edgeless Safety Cube and Weighted Storage Cube areas. They were now entering the Weighted Companion Cube wing.

The first thing they noticed here that was different from the other wings was the various murals that were scribbled on the walls. They looked to be made of paint and maybe oil pastel. Some of them depicted a woman with a ponytail and orange jumpsuit. Others were just chicken scratch notes that were absolute nonsense.

The most common drawing was of what appeared to be a robotic, perhaps gyroscopic ball with a purple optic. Along with these images was a reoccurring black stick figure with orange scribbled all over the head. This figure seemed to be running toward the ball or reaching out toward it, but was never able to reach it.

"Well, these aren't spooky at all," Mikey said, nervously smiling at the oddity.

Amelia laughed a little.

They walked for a few minutes in silence, Mikey seeming restless as he was constantly shifting his gaze and clearing his throat slightly.

"So, um, how are you feeling?" he finally asked.

"I'm okay," Amelia said. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," Mikey said. "I'm just wondering because you seemed kind of….isolated. Yesterday, I mean."

"Oh," Amelia mumbled, looking away from him. "Sorry. I just haven't been feeling well lately."

"Everything okay?" Mikey asked, leaning to try to see her face.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Amelia insisted. "If I weren't okay, I wouldn't be here."

Mikey paused nervously before he reached out to take her hand in his. She stopped walking and looked at him in confusion. Her cheeks were growing pinker than usual.

"Amelia…Y-You can always t-talk to me," he said, not able to keep eye-contact for too long. His voice cracked a little, and he realized that he didn't sound nearly as smooth as he had hoped to. "I just want you to know that."

Amelia didn't say anything to this. Mikey's heart raced as panic to set in. Had he just messed up? He still couldn't meet her eyes.

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie crackled a bit before Valentine's voice came through.

"Um, hey, guys?" she said with uncertainty. "Can everyone hear me?"

There were several affirmative answers over the line.

"Okay, cool," Valentine said. "Well, Doug wanted me to call everyone to meet in the lobby."

There was a pause before Amelia said, "Uh, Valentine, you need to say 'over' when you're done talking so we know you're done. Over."

"Oh! Right." Valentine said. "Well, we all need to meet in the lobby. Over."

"Is Doug hurt?" Nate's voice came through. "What should I be ready for? Over."

"I think it would just be better to discuss it face-to-face," Valentine insisted. "It's kind of complicated. Uh, over."

"10-4," Amelia said. "We'll all head back to the lobby. Amelia clear."

She turned around and started to lead Mikey all the way back. Mikey's heart ached as he noticed her trying to subtly wipe away tears.

* * *

It took about forty-five minutes for everyone to make it back to the lobby. Well, _almost_ everyone.

"Where's Doug?" Chell asked anxiously.

"Yes, what has he gotten himself into?" Wheatley added.

"Okay, first," Valentine said, "You can all sit down for a minute. You all look tired."

Most of them went ahead and sat down, but Chell and Nate just stood in their places.

"Valentine, is Doug okay?" Chell asked.

"I'll get to that," Valentine said. "Now, there's good news and bad news."

"Good news?" Wheatley asked. "So you found Nora?"

"No, not quite _that_ good," Valentine said. "But we discovered that GLaDOS isn't controlling of the facility now."

"That _is_ pretty good news," Wheatley said, smiling at this. "But who's in charge now?"

"That's the bad news," Valentine said. "When Doug entered her chamber…The system kind of, uh, forced him into the mainframe."

No one spoke for what felt like a long time but was really just a few seconds.

"Sorry, what?" Wheatley asked. "I might have misunderstood you. It sounded like you were telling us that Doug was plugged into the mainframe."

"Yyyyeaaaah…." Valentine said, both nervous and awkward.

"But that's impossible!" Wheatley said. "Isn't it? The system would only plug in a core!"

"Maybe you should just see for yourself," Valentine suggested.

She led them straight to the chamber. The way was much easier than before since Doug had made a clear path for her to get back to the lobby. They went through the glass walkway, and Chell got shivers down her back. This walkway didn't bring her happy memories.

The door to the chamber rose to show them what had become of Doug. Chell clasped her hands over her mouth in shock and horror. Wheatley was stunned speechless for a change.

"Valentine, what are you doing?!" Doug demanded, becoming flustered as he tried to hide the wires that here coming out of his back in a futile effort. "Why did you bring them here?! I-I didn't want anyone to see me like this!"

"I'm sorry!" Valentine said. "You didn't say anything to me about that!"

"Oh my god!" Wheatley said, inevitably finding his voice again. "Doug, what _happened_ to you?! How—I didn't even know this was possible! I thought that maybe your _mind_ had been dumped into the mainframe, but your whole _body_ is plugged in! Wow, does that look painful!"

"Yeah, okay, Wheatley," Doug grumbled in annoyance. "I get it."

"Well, it's not so easy, is it?" Wheatley continued, ignoring the nudges in his side from Valentine. "I bet you're feeling that itch now, aren't you? I bet it's really bothering you and all you want to do is test, eh?"

"Wheatley—"

"Now you know how I felt! You know why I had to test! It wasn't easy! It's not like—"

"Oh my god, Wheatley! Shut up!" Valentine yelled. "Jesus Christ! He already feels bad enough, man! He was just plugged into the thing that he's been running from for years! This is probably the worst thing that could happen to him!"

"Valentine," Doug said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked very uncomfortable as the itch irritated him a little more from having so many people to test around him now. "I know you're trying but you're really not helping right now."

"Oh. Sorry," Valentine said, looking down with her fingers laced together.

"So what does this mean exactly?" Mikey asked. "Doug, you're in charge of the facility now, right?"

"Yeah, I am," Doug said.

"Well, shouldn't this be kind of a good thing?" Mikey asked. "We don't have to worry about being tested or running from a crazy computer system."

Doug didn't answer and it made the room tense.

"Doug, you're not going to try to use us for testing, are you?" Chell asked quietly.

"No!" Doug finally said. "I mean, believe me, I don't want to! But don't let your guard down completely. I don't know what the mainframe might make me do."

"So what now?" Amelia asked. "How should we go about searching now?"

"Well, first, I was thinking that everyone could grab lunch," Doug said. "It's late in the morning and even _I'm_ starting to get a little hungry."

"That sounds good to me," Natalie said. "There's an employee cafeteria here, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Doug said. "Actually, I think I can put up signs to lead you there and have the kitchen bots cook something up for you guys."

"Kitchen bots?" Jon asked in awe. "That sounds awesome! That's some futuristic shit!"

"Doug, do you want me to take a look at yer back?" Nate asked, slightly worried. "Doesn't that hurt at all?"

"I'm okay," Doug lied. "The system healed me up pretty well already. Just worry about getting lunch. Except for you." He gestured toward Mikey. "I kind of want to talk to you alone."

Mikey looked at Doug with confusion. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Sure. I guess that's okay."


	42. Chapter Forty-Two: Surveillance Footage

Doug was able to have his and Mikey's food delivered to the chamber. They sat in silence for a few minutes while they ate chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. Mikey had no idea what Doug wanted to talk to him about, and frankly, it made him pretty nervous.

"So," he said. "Did you want to talk about something?"

"Uh, yeah," Doug said awkwardly. "Sorry. You just sort of remind me of myself before I started working here. And the facility is pumping chemicals in my brain that make me want to socialize, which I'm not used to doing at all."

"Yeah, so you used to be a programmer here?" Mikey asked, not sure what to say exactly. "I'm a programmer back at the compound we live in."

"Ah," Doug said. "That's why you reminded me of myself. There's just something about programmers."

"We're weird and organized," Mikey chimed in. "So did you help build this system that you're hooked up to?"

"Yeah," Doug said solemnly. "I helped connect the system to all of the files ever saved on the Aperture servers. That way, if something is deleted from a computer, it's still saved in the system. And it never leaves the system even after a meltdown."

"That's kind of awesome," Mikey said. "So you must have a lot of information on this place."

"Yeah, I do," Doug said. "It's a little hard to navigate through all of it, though. It's so overwhelming."

"Is there any way I could check it out?" Mikey asked. "I'd love to dig through some files on this place."  
"I guess you can," Doug said with uncertainty. He brought a computer and chair into the room for Mikey to use.

"Sweet!" Mikey said as he sat in the chair. "I promise I won't mess anything up."

This didn't make Doug feel any better, but he hoped that maybe the kid could do something to help.

"If you find anything about testing and the euphoric release connected to that, could you let me know?" he asked.

"Yeah," Mikey said. "What exactly is that?"

"Well, the mainframe makes me want to perform tests or experiments on subjects," Doug said. "When I get results, the mainframe releases dopamine as encouragement. This was something that was added later on in the project. While I'm not testing, I get sort of irritable because I feel a need to test and I know how to satisfy it, but I can't do anything about it."

"That sounds like a real design flaw," Mikey said. "You can't deactivate it?"

"It's hardwired in."

"Damn. Well, I'll search around for this to see what I can do."

Mikey started to navigate through the dozens of folders that only took him to even more folders. There were so many folders of information about the facility that he wasn't exactly sure where to start.

As Mikey clicked away on the mouse, Doug decided to try to look through the security camera footage. Maybe he would get some clues on where Nora and GLaDOS' head went. He got distracted, though, when he noticed how far back the dates went for security footage. There were dates all the way back to when Cave Johnson had first built the building. Doug became curious and found the date when first started working here.

He watched himself as he walked into the facility with his messenger bag. He could see the nervous look in his eyes that would only get worse over the years. It was surreal to see his younger self like this. He felt like yelling at himself to leave now while he still could. It was far too late, though.

"Hey, Doug," Mikey suddenly said. "There are folders in here with pictures and transcripts about you. I think I might have found your memories."

"Don't go through those!" Doug commanded, his face turning red as he thought back to his date with Valentine. "Uh, just leave that stuff alone. It's not right to go through someone else's memories."

"Okay, okay," Mikey said. "Chill, man. I'll leave it alone."

Doug tried to regain his composure as he went back to the security footage. He found the day in which GLaDOS gassed the facility. His coworkers panicked and choked on the fumes. Past-Doug covered his mouth and nose as he scrambled for a supply closet. Once inside, he found a multi-tool that he used to take off a vent cover. Even from the odd angle in the supply closet, Doug could still clearly see his own hands shaking uncontrollably as he twisted the screws out. With some effort, he was able to pull himself up into the vent. It was a small vent but big enough for him to crawl on his elbows.

He couldn't find himself clearly on footage again for quite a while. At least not until the day that Chell caused a meltdown of the system. He watched himself sprinting for her chamber and arriving in time to see the immediate aftermath. He watched through outside cameras as he made it to the surface with his Companion Cube. Chell was dragged back into the facility by a Party-Escort Bot and Doug was forced to delve back in to help her.

There was a surprising amount of footage of him running through the facility to find Chell in the Long-Term Relaxation Center. Then he hurried toward the cryo-control but was shot in the leg by a turret. He cringed as he watched his past self drag his bleeding leg on the ground. He could see himself start to lose consciousness and his pulse was racing all over again from the situation.

There was at least an hour of footage in which he just lied on the floor unconscious. It made him feel uneasy to see so much blood around him. He finally did wake up, though, and he conversed with the Cube for a few moments. It was odd to see him talking to the Cube but not being able to hear it talk back. He reset the fuses and turned on Chell's Relaxation Chamber. Then he climbed into a stasis pod and let it close on him.

Years later, the pod opened up again and he was startled awake. He jumped out and hurried for the Relaxation Center. From then on, there were only fleeting glances of him as he traveled throughout the facility with Wheatley and Nora.

"Oh! I found it!" Mikey suddenly said, tearing Doug's attention away from the footage. "Okay, I…don't think I can disable it. But I can alter it."

"Alter it in what way?" Doug asked hesitantly.

"I can change what it is that you need to get that euphoria. I can change it to something completely harmless."

"That's good, I guess," Doug said. "What do you have in mind?"

"Hold on," Mikey said, typing away on the keyboard. "Okay, I changed it."

"To what?" Doug demanded. "And why couldn't you have consulted me first on it?"

"Relax, man," Mikey said. "It's something nice and harmless. You'll see what it is soon enough, I promise. I also toned down the euphoric release because I noticed that the dosage was _way_ too high."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," Doug murmured.

"Hey, uh, do you mind if I head to the cafeteria? I want to see how my friend is doing. She's been kind of…moody lately."

"Go ahead," Doug said. "I'll just be in here. Tell everyone to come back in here when they're done eating."

"I will," Mikey said, heading for the door. "Seeya."

Doug continued to watch the footage of the whole Wheatley fiasco. It made him grimace as he felt Wheatley's memories lingering in the mainframe.


	43. Chapter Forty-Three: Heated Words

Back in the cafeteria, everyone was chatting about the facility and how massive it was. They discussed strategies on navigating the facility and finding Nora with whatever help Doug could provide. Wheatley had many ideas that were shot down multiple times by Arin. Amelia was sitting a little ways off from the others, but Chell was completely by herself, silent as she picked at her food.

Mikey hurried into the cafeteria and sat down next to Amelia.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said quietly. "You're not going to believe me."

"What is it?" Amelia asked with concern. "Do we need to worry about Doug?"

"No, it's not that," Mikey said. "He let me check out the system's files and I found his memories dumped into a folder. I was quickly browsing his memories without him knowing, and I found something you're not going to believe."

"What is it?" Amelia asked, curiosity gripping her. "Come on! Spit it out!"

"I…Well, _he_ saw your mom."

Amelia's excitement fell into disappointment. "Well, yeah. Probably," she said. "She used to visit Aperture a lot while Black Mesa tried to make peace with them."

"No, he saw her _recently_," Mikey explained. "Like, _really_ recently. Just a few days ago on the street."

Amelia stared at her friend blankly for a moment before asking, "Mikey, what the hell are you talking about? My mom is dead. It had to have been someone else."

"No, he spoke to her!" Mikey insisted. "She told him her name was Leah Oates!"

Amelia now glared at him with tears forming in her eyes. "Is this some dumb way of trying to cheer me up?" she asked in a hard tone. "It's just mean, Mikey. Why would you try to give up my hopes like that?"

"What? Why would I lie about something like this just to make you feel better?" Mikey asked defensively. "I swear I wouldn't do that!"

"Grant told me that she died while trying to get people down to the compound," Amelia said. "Why would Grant lie about something like that? He was one of her closest friends and he was torn up about it. He wasn't lying."

"Maybe Grant thought she was dead but I know what I saw!" Mikey said desperately. He was afraid of the hateful look she was giving him.

"Just stop!" Amelia demanded. "You're being stupid! She's dead! Saying she's alive for the sake of making me feel better is a shitty idea! Just leave me alone!"

She stood from the table and hurried out of the cafeteria. Arin shot Mikey a dirty look before hurrying out after her. Mikey buried his face in his arms on the table as he tried to hold in a sob.

"Hey," Nate said, sitting down across from him. "It's okay. Whatever she's upset about, she'll git over it. You _are_ her best friend after all."

Mikey looked up at him with red watery eyes. "Did she say that?"

"Yeah," Nate said with a sort of guilty smile. "Listen, I shouldn't be tellin' you this, but….Well, she had a crush on you a couple of years ago."

Mikey's face turned red and his heart swelled in his chest. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, right?" he asked cautiously.

"No, she really did have a crush on you," Nate said. "She wasn't too obvious about it, but I would often catch her staring at you in such a dreamy way. I told her that she had to be the one to make the first move, but she insisted that she didn't want to ruin your friendship."

Mikey's heart was racing now and he smiled at this. "Heh. Wow. I can't believe that."

"Don't tell her I told you," Nate said. "But maybe you should be the one to make the first move now." He winked at Mikey before getting up to return to his seat. He stopped on his way, though, when he spotted the grim expression on Chell's face. He went over to her table and sat across from her. "You okay, Miss?"

Chell looked up at him and gave him an empty smile. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said.

"You've been awfully quiet in here," Nate pointed out. "Something bothering you?"

Chell sighed. "It was just…seeing Doug like that. I didn't know that could happen. It makes me think back to how many times the system could have tried to force me into the mainframe. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on any living creature, but at the same time, I'm almost glad that it was him and not me. And I feel horrible about that."

"Hey, don't feel horrible about that," Nate said. "It's in our nature to look out for ourselves while also being sympathetic towards other folks. Now, I don't have personal experience with this mainframe thing, but I'm sure Doug will be alright. We'll find a way to disconnect him and he'll be good as new."

"I really hope you're right," Chell murmured. "Doug has been through so much more than I have. I don't want this hellhole to be the place where he lives out the rest of his life."

* * *

Doug didn't think to look through the security footage in this chamber until about ten minutes after Mikey had left. He felt so stupid for not thinking of it sooner. He reviewed the footage and saw GLaDOS' head being pried off. It fell to the floor with a heavy, metallic thud. Nora swiped at the kid with the giant claw before she was suddenly pulled off of the mainframe by a different one. The system's voice said something about a Core Rehabilitation Center. Doug had never heard of it before, but he was happy to discover that he could locate it in the facility.

The rest of the footage showed the young man dragging GLaDOS' head out as quickly as he could just before the system tried to connect him with its wires. The wires and cables just missed him as he escaped through a busted panel in the wall. Why would he have taken GLaDOS' head? What had he been planning to do with her?

It wasn't hard to locate the kid. He didn't seem to be too great at hiding out of view of the cameras. Doug could remember peeking into every room and down every hallway in an attempt to memorize where all of the cameras were in the facility. There was a small time lapse where Doug couldn't see the kid or GLaDOS' head at all. When the kid came back into view, GLaDOS' head was nowhere in sight. The kid seemed to have recently taken up residence in the back corner of the Companion Cube department where he could be surrounded by the murals of Nora.

This was fantastic news for Doug. He knew where Nora was and he knew where that kid was. Now he just needed to find GLaDOS to take back control of the facility and he would be golden.


	44. Chapter Forty-Four: The Plan

Once everybody was done eating, they regrouped in Doug's chamber. He provided office chairs for them to sit in. Natalie and Jon couldn't stop swiveling around in them just for fun. Chell subtly stared at the wires going into Doug's back with pity and fear. Amelia tried to sit as far away from Mikey as she could, making him slouch in his seat glumly.

"So," Wheatley said, setting his chair just in front of the rest of the group. "Any news about Nora?"

"Actually, yes," Doug said with a proud smile. Something about having them all back in the chamber made him unusually happy. "I was able to find out that she got taken to the Core Rehabilitation Center."

"The what?" Wheatley asked.

"Uh, it's a relatively new part of the facility," Doug explained. "GLaDOS created it for cores connected to the mainframe that are more than 60% corrupt. Well, with her as an exception, of course."

"But why would Nora be taken there?" Wheatley asked. "When has she ever…Oh. Oh, no. No no no. Don't tell me that she was connected to GLaDOS. My poor Nora! Why would she ever be connected to that monstrous mainframe?!"

"GLaDOS was interested in the humanity that Nora displayed," Doug explained. "And she could also keep Caroline happy."

"But how could Nora possibly be more than 60% corrupt?" Wheatley demanded. "She's such a sweet core. It doesn't make any sense! It's mad! The system must be broken!"

"Something happened that made her try to kill a human," Doug said awkwardly. "Her human body that was being preserved was destroyed. She thought it was her last chance out of here."

"Oh, god," Wheatley said, covering his face with his hands. "My poor, sweet Nora. Is she alright?"

"Hold on," Arin cut it. "So are we _not_ looking for a human? Is Nora a construct like Wheatley was?"

"Of course she's a construct!" Wheatley snapped. "You didn't know that we've been looking for a construct this whole time?!"

"You guys never really said that she was a construct," Jon pointed out. "What makes her so different from all of the other constructs around here?"

"Because Nora is my friend!" Wheatley shouted. "That's what makes her different! That's why we're searching for her!"

"Wheatley, calm down," Doug said. "I hope this doesn't discourage the rest of you to help us search for her. She may not be human, but she thinks and feels like a human. She's scared and alone right now. That's why we're here to help her get out."

"Of course we'll stay and help," Amelia said in a strained voice. "We don't discriminate between humans and machines that think like humans."

"But _is she safe_ right now, Doug?" Wheatley demanded impatiently.

"Well, as far as I can tell, she's still online," Doug assured him. "And she's still in one piece. But that's all the information I can get right now."

"Then let's go find her!" Wheatley said, quickly standing up from his chair and causing it to roll backwards a bit. "We'll go to this 'Rehabilitation Center' and pick her up!"

"Yeah, I can set up signs to let you know where it is," Doug said. "I have something I need to attend to while you guys are gone so I might not be a little too distracted to clear a path. Chell, you're experienced in finding your way around obstacles. I'm sure you can assist the others."

Chell tore her gaze from the wires to give Doug a weak smile.

"I'll stay with _you_, Doug," Valentine reminded him. "Good luck to everyone else, though."

"But before you go," Doug said, "does anyone have any questions about anything?"

"Yeah, I've got a question," Arin said. "You mentioned obstacles. What should we be expecting?"

"Mostly caved in walls or girders," Doug said. "Maybe some lasers or turrets but I can disable those easily."

"I guess that doesn't sound _too_ bad," Arin said.

"Oh, and there are occasional pits with a toxic-looking sludge," Doug added. "Try not to come in contact with the sludge at all. It's just as deadly as it looks."

"Fair enough," Arin said.

"Any other questions?" Doug asked.

"About how far away is this Rehab Center?" Jon asked.

"Not taking into account any of the detours you might need to take," Doug said, "I'd say about a mile and a half away from this chamber. Maybe two miles."

"Ugh," Jon groaned. "So much walking."

"Oh, come on, Jon," Natalie said. "It's not so bad. We'll probably see a whole bunch of cool stuff along the way."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Anybody else have questions?" Doug asked.

The room was silent for a few moments.

"Okay, cool!" Valentine said. "Now go find that core while we work on locating GLaDOS."

"Why do you need her?" Wheatley asked suspiciously.

"She could give me answers on who could take over the facility for me," Doug said. "Don't worry, there's no way I'm reconnecting her to the mainframe."

"Oh," Wheatley said. "Well, good. You had me worried there for a second. I thought we be taking a step backwards."

"Let's go now!" Natalie said excitedly. "I want to see lasers!"

* * *

The rescue team followed Doug's signs as they went through hallway after hallway. Eventually, they came to a door that indicated there were test chambers just ahead.

"Ha! I _knew_ it!" Wheatley exclaimed. "He _is_ going to make us test! I knew that the mainframe would corrupt him like it did me!"

"Wheatley, come on," Amelia said. "You're overreacting. I don't think he's going to make us test. This is probably just the quickest way to the Rehabilitation Center."

"Okay, then _you_ open the door first, lady," Wheatley said, gesturing toward the door.

"I _will_," Amelia said, starting to push it open. "And I'll show you that—Holy shit! What _is_ that?!"

Amelia quickly backed up into Arin who immediately tried to shield his leader with himself. Chell flinched away when she saw the red turret-like eye and white cased machine. Wheatley, though, started to laugh heartily.

"You really got scared from that!" he laughed. "You thought he was a turret!"

The construct glared up at Wheatley disdainfully, narrowing his eye with his optic lids. He stood on three legs like a turret but his body was a perfect sphere just like that of a personality core.

"That voice," he said. "I remember that condescendin' voice. What are you doing in a human body?" The core spoke in a southern accent not unlike Nate's.

"Wheatley, you know him?" Chell asked. "He's not a turret?"

"Not at all!" Wheatley said, still amused. "He's an early design for a construct. Although, now I'm confused why he isn't a turret. Didn't I leave you in a turret body?"

"Whoever is runnin' this place was kind enough to put me back into one of the empty shells of my version," the core said. Then he turned to Chell politely and said, "By the way, Miss, my name is Kurt. My friend Nora and I would watch you go through those tests. She was awfully impressed with you."

Chell smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink. "Really?" she asked. "Um, thank you."

"Hey, er, sorry for trying to stuff you into a cube," Wheatley said awkwardly.

"What're you doin' back here?" Kurt asked. "I thought you were gone fer good."

"For your information, you ancient, outdated core, we're here to find Nora!" Wheatley said with annoyance.

"Nora? She's alright?" Kurt asked. "I'm surprised you didn't end up smashing her to pieces."

Wheatley moved to kick Kurt right in his optic, but Nate suddenly picked him up with his strong arms. "Whoa, now!" he said. "Let's not get carried away, Wheatley! Kurt might be able to help us."

"How could he possibly help us?!" Wheatley demanded. "He'll just weigh us down!"

"I want to find Nora just as much as you do!" Kurt said, taking a not-so-intimidating step towards them.

"Then we'll bring you along," Amelia cut in. She walked past everybody and knelt down in front of the core. "The more the merrier. And you might be able to give us tips on changes in the facility. Even Wheatley didn't know about the Rehabilitation Center."

"That?" Kurt said. "I know about that! Word gets around quick between the turrets. They gossip a lot more than you would expect."

"See, Wheatley?" Amelia said, turning around. "Kurt has information that we might need."

Wheatley didn't answer. He just crossed his arms defiantly and looked away.

"Come on, Kurt," Amelia said. "You can walk alongside me." She briefly glanced back at Mikey before leading the team forward. Mikey could feel his heart gradually breaking more with each hateful look she gave him.


	45. Chapter Forty-Five: Rat-to-Rat

It wasn't hard to find the boy who stole Nora. It was almost as if he _wanted_ to be found. Valentine was hanging out in the lobby so Doug waited in the chamber alone as a metal claw dragged the young man through the facility to him. He usually enjoyed being alone, but for some reason it made him feel uncomfortable right now. It made him…itch.

"So _that's_ what Mikey replaced the need for testing with," he muttered to himself. "A need for company." He shrugged a shoulder. "Could be worse, I guess."

He felt some relief when he heard a voice shouting in German. The kid was brought into the chamber and the claw held him in front of Doug. When the kid saw the man with wires coming out of his back, he could only stare in awe.

"You must be Charlie," Doug said, his arms crossed. "I remember Nora mentioning you. Speaking of our mutual friend, what the hell did you do with her?"

Charlie said nothing. He stared at Doug with wide eyes that were beginning to tear up. This didn't bode well for Doug; he assumed the worse judging by the boy's tears.

"What did you do with my friend?!" he demanded, quickly letting his anger and fear take over. "What do you know about this Rehabilitation Center?! How could you let her end up there?! And why did you kill her body?!"

"I-Ich weiβ nicht!" Charlie cried. "I don't know! I was tinking it was a monster the computer made! It acted like a animal!"

"A monster?! It was a human body!" Doug shouted at the kid. The chamber shook slightly. "You murdered a human body!"

"I-I was afraid!" Charlie whimpered. "Bitte! Don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I did not know what else to do!"

Doug took a moment to try to calm down, breathing deeply. As he breathed, though, he was only reminded of the wires that were digging into his shoulders. "Do you understand what your actions have caused?" he asked. "When you took off GLaDOS' head, you left the mainframe unattended. There was no one to supervise the controls of the facility. The mainframe was desperate and forced _me_ to connect with it! _Look_ at me!" It didn't take long for Doug's rage to overwhelm him again. "Look at what the mainframe has done to me! I'm a monster because of you!"

"I-I didn't mean for anyting like dis to happen!" Charlie cried. "I am so sorry! I was tinking if I could destroy GLaDOS then we would all be safe and could leave!"

"What _did_ you do with GLaDOS?" Doug asked. His anger was put aside momentarily for curiosity. "You tried to destroy her, right? Where is she now?"

"I put her into the furnace!"

Doug stared blankly at Charlie for a few seconds. GLaDOS was in the furnace burning away. He could imagine the paint peeling off of her as she screamed in excruciating pain. He could see her yellow light blinking out before it melted into goop like the rest of her. She was gone now. She could never have control of the facility again. He had always wanted to do something like that, but now that it was done, he felt dread filling him.

"There's….no one to take over the facility then," he said in a flat tone. "Nobody can take over. I'm….I'm stuck here." He fell to his knees and stared at the floor with no expression. "I'm stuck here. I'm stuck. I can't do anything about this now I'm stuck forever stuck I'llnevergetoutofherestuckI'mstuckI'mstuck…" He began mumbling incoherently, paying no mind to Charlie who still hung by the claw clutching his jumpsuit.

"Doug….I didn't know," the young man said quietly. "I didn't know someting like dis could happen. Please, I am sorry. Believe me."

"I believe you," Doug said, cutting off his own babbling. He looked up at Charlie but his expression was still blank. "What happened to Nora after you left this chamber?"

"A claw grabbed her from me," Charlie said. "It said something about corruption and rehabilitation. I don't know that last word, though."

"I do," Doug said. "I can try to bring her back here so she can leave with everyone else."

"Will you hurt me?" Charlie asked quietly.

"Of course not," Doug said. "I'm…sorry I got so angry and blamed you. I know that your intentions were good."

Charlie didn't know what the word "intentions" meant but he thanked Doug either way.

"How will you leave the computer?" Charlie asked.

"I still need to figure that out."


	46. Chapter Forty-Six: Corruption

"Would you folks happen to know who's in charge of the facility right now?" Kurt asked the others as they stopped for a rest. "I'm only curious about it. I know it can't be GLaDOS since y'all don't seem to be too concerned with getting caught."

"Doug's in charge now," Wheatley said. "Another friend of Nora."

"Yeah, I remember hearing about him," Kurt said. "But that doesn't make any sense. Can a human be plugged into the mainframe?"

"Apparently," Wheatley said. "That seems like a bit of a design flaw if you ask me. Any of the scientists could have been in danger when GLaDOS was deactivated. And humans are too emotional anyway to run the facility."

"Oh, and you weren't emotional?" Chell pointed out, nudging him lightly.

"I had good reason to be emotional," Wheatley claimed. "Everything was falling apart around me."

They started walking along a catwalk that had many turns like a maze. Chell wouldn't have been surprised if it turned out to be a maze after all.

"Is it weird that I missed this place?" Chell asked more to herself than anyone else.

"Just a bit," Wheatley said. "But I missed it, too."

"Everything here is so cool!" Jon exclaimed. "All of the wires and machines and blinking lights—"

"I see you."

Just as they were approaching a corner, a turret was revealed from beyond the turn. Its laser-sight pointed at them and it began to rapidly fire bullets at them. They all quickly backed up before anyone got hurt.

"Are you still there?" the turret asked.

"Doug, aren't you paying attention?!" Wheatley shouted to the ceiling.

"He's probably just distracted with something," Chell said. "Don't worry, I can handle this."

She crept forward with her portal gun ready. Once she could see the turret, she quickly shot a portal underneath it and another on the wall next to it. The turret fell through and toppled over. It desperately fire bullets out in front of it before retracting its guns.

"Shutting down."

"Whoa! Dude, that was awesome!" Jon exclaimed. "Can I see that thing?"

"I should probably be the one to hold onto it," Chell said sheepishly. "It takes some getting used to."

"And _you_ were panicking," Kurt teased Wheatley.

"I was not panicking!" Wheatley argued. "I was rightfully concerned!"

"Hey, guys!" Jon said, peeking around the corner. "I think we found the rehab center!"

Wheatley hurried over and looked around the corner, as well. Down the catwalk was a door with a blue sign above it. In white letters, it said, "CORRUPT CONSTRUCTS REHABILITATION CENTER." It was actually plainer than Wheatley had been expecting.

"Sweet," Arin said. "We might actually get out of here before nightfall."

"There's still the matter of finding someone to take over for Doug, though," Amelia pointed out.

The others didn't seem to be paying attention as they made their way toward the door. It was a simple door with a handle that you push on to open. Inside was a fairly large room with what looked like giant servers. There were only a handful of cores plugged into these servers.

Just off to the right, they could see a core with a glowing purple light. It was in the shape of a gray gyroscopic sphere with long handles sticking out above and below the optic. Wheatley hurried toward the core, quickly followed by Arin who was curious to study the design of the construct. Everybody else followed, but Wheatley suddenly stopped a few yards away. He bit his lip nervously.

Nora looked up when she noticed the group of people hurrying toward her. Her optic opened wide and her pupil shrank with surprise. She looked at each of the humans, and her gaze stopped at Chell. Her handles moved a bit and her pupil widened as she seemed to be trying to communicate with Chell, but no sound came out.

"Is she okay?" Jon asked.

"She seems to be trying to talk to you," Arin said, turning towards Chell.

"I bet GLaDOS muted any bots that are connected to these servers," Chell said.

Nora stopped moving around and nodded vigorously.

Kurt decided to step out in front of the human's legs to get a better look at his friend. Nora's pupil shrank again when she saw him. Her handles closed around her eye a bit as her bottom optic lid rose happily.

"Hey, there, darlin'," Kurt said, also raising his bottom lid. "It's good to see you again. Don't worry, we're gonna get you outta here safe and sound."

Nora's pupil shuddered as she stared at her friend. She wanted to tell him how overjoyed she was to see that he was safe and in one piece.

"Now, I'm gonna have to plug into the server here…" He walked up to a small plug jack that stuck out a little from below where Nora was held on the wall. His chassis opened a slot just near the bottom and a thin cable plug unfolded out to the plug. He connected himself and explored the security system.

"Alright, this ain't too tough," he said. "I'm just gonna need a couple of minutes to get around the security. Shouldn't be too hard with it being made by Aperture."

"Oh, so suddenly you're a hacking expert," Wheatley grumbled quietly.

Nora heard Wheatley's voice and her gaze shot to him. Her handles and lens widened as she recognized the body. Suddenly, her top handle and bottom lid lowered to express her fury toward him, and she thrashed around angrily. His heart sank at seeing her look at him with such hatred.

"Okay, I found the way to disconnect her, but the system says she's too corrupt right now," Kurt said. "Nora, you gotta calm down."

Nora ignored this. She looked like she was trying to curse at Wheatley, and she was way too focused on this instead of trying to leave the facility.

"Nora, please," Chell said. "We want to help you. I know that you're angry with Wheatley but—"

Nora only seemed to get angrier that Chell was defending him. Mikey stepped forward and knelt down in front of the core. He gently took her in his hands, forcing her to focus on him.

"Nora, listen," he said gently. "We can get you out of here but we need you to calm down. Forget about whatever Wheatley did to make you angry for now."

Nora relaxed a bit, raising her handle but keeping her upper lid lowered slightly.

"Focus on me right now, okay?" Mikey continued, smiling at her. "My name is Mikey. I'm a programmer at an underground compound near Black Mesa. I've been working on building an artificial intelligence like you. He's not quite finished yet but I think you'd like him. He's really friendly and he has a great sense of humor."

"Got it!" Kurt said triumphantly.

Nora popped off of the plug and fell into Mikey's arms. She looked up at him gratefully.

"Thank you, Mikey," she said quietly.

"Okay, let's head back to Doug now," Amelia said, trying not to show her admiration for Mikey.

"Doug?" Nora asked. "He's here? Where is he?"

"It's a little difficult to explain," Chell said, appearing uncomfortable. "We'll just bring you to him."

Nora's pupil shrank. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, for the most part," Chell said.


	47. Chapter Forty-Seven: I can be normal!

**AN: We're almost there...**

"So Valentine," Doug said as they sat around in the chamber. "That kid Mikey was looking through the files of the system. He was able to change what the system makes me, uh…crave."

"Does that mean you don't want to test anymore?" Valentine asked. She was sitting on the floor and leaning against one of the four glass walls that contained Charlie.

"Right," Doug said. He sat in the middle of the room so that the wires didn't tug at his skin. "He made it so that I want the company of others now."

Valentine smiled. "That sounds healthy," she said. "And much safer than wanting to put people through lethal testing."

Doug smiled, too. "So what do you want to do once the others get back?"

Valentine raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Aren't we just going to find someone else to take over and leave?"

"Well, I had something else in mind," Doug said. "I thought that maybe we could just make this our new home. We could establish a community in here. It could be fun." He was becoming unsettlingly excited about this idea. "You could bring your family in here. It would be a much larger living space, too."

Valentine stared at Doug's almost manic expression. "You mean if we can't find a replacement for you, right?" she asked. "This is just a last resort?"

Doug's smile faded a little. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Of course."

He suddenly sensed the others approaching and his smile grew again. "They're almost here," he said. "And I think they have Nora."

* * *

Nora was silent as she was carried by Mikey. She was struggling to absorb her current situation. There were so many humans around her now. Were they all here to get her out? How did Wheatley get his human body back? And what was up with Doug?

A metal claw suddenly reached down and plucked her out of Mikey's grasp who cried out in surprise. She was quickly carried through a dark passage before she was brought into GLaDOS' chamber. She was moving too fast and didn't see who suddenly wrapped their arms around her. She closed her optic as she shivered fearfully.

"I finally found you!"

She quickly looked up and was happy to see Doug smiling down at her, but her gaze soon fell upon the wires that fell down from the system's chassis and connected to his back.

"Doug….Y-_You're_ in charge…?" she stammered quietly. "How? H-How could this have happened?"

Doug's smile slipped from his face. "The system conducted a….forceful connection with me," he said. "I'm okay, though. Don't worry. And I don't have that itch to test. It's been changed to wanting the company of others."

"Really?" she asked. She wasn't convinced that everything was alright, though. "Does it…Does it hurt?"

"Um…" Doug grimaced a little at first but he forced a smile. "No, I'm fine. Seriously, don't worry about me. I'm just so happy to see that you're okay."

"I'm happy to see that you're okay, too," Nora said. "GLaDOS told me that you had left, but I was still worried about you."

"I was being taken care of. Oh! Nora, I'd like you to meet Valentine. She's my, uh, my g-girlfriend."

Nora turned to see Valentine sitting patiently. She got distracted, though, by the smiling boy behind the glass.

"Charlie!" she exclaimed. "I-I'm so sorry that I tried to kill you! I shouldn't have lost my temper like that!" Her voice broke a little. "Please try to forgive me!"

Charlie placed his hand against the glass. "No, do not be sorry," he said. "I killed your body. _I_ am who is sorry."

"Doug, why is he in there?" Nora asked, turning back to her other friend.

"I, uh, looked back at the security tapes," Doug said awkwardly. "After what I saw him do to your body, I felt like I needed to keep him somewhere so I could keep an eye on him."

"Oh. I guess that's understandable."

The others finally showed up and gathered around the center.

"Oh, Charlie!" Wheatley said. "I was so sure that you had died during one of my tests."

"You tried to burn him!" Nora shouted at Wheatley. "You can't just pretend that that didn't happen! What's wrong with you?!"

Wheatley frowned and backed away toward the edge of the group.

"Nora, it's fine," Doug said. "Everything's fine now."

"But you're connected to the system!" Nora cried out. "And why does he have his human body back?! Things are so different now! I don't know what to think anymore!"

"It's okay," Doug said, gently caressing her shell. "We're all here again. All we need is each other."

"Um, Doug?" Mikey asked awkwardly. "Did you find GLaDOS?"

Doug looked up with an anxious expression. "Well, it turns out that Charlie tossed her into the furnace."

Chell's eyes widened at this and even started to tear up.

"But it's fine," Doug continued. The scary smile started to spread across his face again. "I can control the facility. I'll rearrange some of the departments and make this the perfect location for a new community."

There was a tense silence that lasted for a few painful seconds.

"Doug," Amelia said. "We can't stay here. We have our own community to get back to."

"But I can make this one better!" Doug claimed. "I'll make it so that you can view the surface while not having to go out! I can protect you all from the Combine!"

Amelia looked over at Valentine who seemed quite uncomfortable with what her boyfriend was saying. Then she turned to look at the exit just as it was being closed. Doug sealed up any way of escape.

"Please," he said, trying to keep his manic smile. "I've never felt so happy to be in a crowd of people. And the system is staving off my schizophrenia! I-I can be normal now!"

"Doug, stop!" Valentine said as she stood up. "This doesn't make you normal! It's unnatural!"

"Don't you want me to feel normal, Valentine?!" he asked, setting Nora down next to him to that he could stand up. "Don't I deserve this?!"

"Doug, please," Nora whimpered. "I finally want to leave this place with you."

"Why can't any of you understand that this makes me happy?!" Doug shouted.

"Sorry! Sorry for being late!" called a cheery voice.

Everybody turned to see two people suddenly hurrying over seemingly out of the wall. One of them was a copper-skinned man with black hair, and the other was a sweet-looking Korean girl with long brown hair. However, they weren't separate from each other. They seemed to overlap each other and constantly exist in the same place.

"I meant to get here earlier," they said, their voices also overlapping each other. "I got caught up with something, but I'm here now."

"I told you all that Li existed!" Wheatley exclaimed. "Although, I don't remember her also being a scary-looking man."

"Hi, Wheatley!" Li/Lee said, waving. They turned back to Doug with their smiles. "I'm here to help you disconnect from this stupid system."

"I-I don't know what you are," Doug said, "but I don't want to leave!"

Li/Lee reached up and gently placed a hand on Doug's cheek. "Doug, it's time for you all to leave," they said gently. "It's time to go home."

Doug felt all of the muscles in his body relax. He could feel the wires in his arms and wrapped around his spine start to painlessly slip out of his body. As the wires and cables were pulled back up to the chassis, Doug's wounds quickly healed until there was never any trace of ever being attached to the system.

He stared into the two pairs of eyes of the being(s) before him, and asked quietly, "W-What are you?"

Li/Lee brought a finger up to their lips and winked.

"But…Who will take over now?" Doug asked.

"Nobody," they answered happily. "We've made it so that the facility can run on its own. Now everybody leave, and return to the world outside. You all have people waiting for you."

Without any warning at all, Li/Lee disappeared completely.

Valentine rushed over and trapped Doug in a hug. Then she pulled away and slapped him playfully. "Don't ever do that again."

"You mean connect to a computer system and try to hold everyone against their will?" Doug asked with a crooked smile. "I'll try not to anymore."

"Let's get out of here now," Amelia said. "I need fresh air."

"I second that," Nate said.


	48. Chapter Forty-Eight: Rejection

The group from underground set out to explore the town while Valentine, Doug, Chell, and Wheatley went back to the apartments. They were surprised when they entered through the patio door and saw several people in the living room with worried expressions. Valentine's mother Jenny and her friend David sat on the couch, Jimmy from a few doors down sat in Val's chair, and Phil stood near the kitchen with his arms crossed.

They all looked at Valentine as she entered, and relief washed away the worry.

"Valentine, what were you thinking?!" Jenny demanded as she quickly stood up. "We didn't know what to do when we heard that you'd run off to Aperture with your new boyfriend!"

Tears welled up in Valentine's eyes as she hurried forward to hug her mom tightly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I really am."

"We're just glad you're okay, kiddo," Phil said.

Valentine rushed over to Phil and gave him an even bigger hug. She started sobbing into his shoulder as she repeatedly apologized. Phil was startled by this but hugged her back comfortingly.

"It's okay, kiddo," he said with a smile. His own eyes were becoming dewy but he tried to hold back tears. "We were just worried that you wouldn't make it back out."

Doug felt a bit emotional by the scene and also had to hold back tears as he stood by the door awkwardly.

Chell and Wheatley weren't paying much attention to this for Wheatley had his own emotions to deal with.

"Are you okay?" Chell asked him as she sat next to him on the concrete patio. "Are you still upset about Nora?"

Wheatley was hunched over with his knees up to his chest as he stared down at the grass before him, a look of defeat and sorrow on his face.

"She still hates me," Wheatley said. "I told you she would. Did you see the looks that she was giving me?"

"Maybe you just need to talk to her," Chell suggested. "You should try to resolve this with her."

"I was at least hoping that she would have been put into her human body like I was. It would have made this a bit easier."

Chell shrugged. "Her body _was_ destroyed," she pointed out. "Maybe that Li person could only put you in your body because they took it from Aperture."

"Huh," Wheatley said in a flat tone. "I didn't even think of that. I suppose you're probably right."

"Let's head over to the diner," Chell said. "We can grab dinner and I can let Ben know that I'm alright."

As they walked down to the diner, the sun was crawling toward the horizon. It had been a long day and Chell wanted to go to bed, but she had to help resolve this issue between Wheatley and Nora. The hopeless look on Wheatley's face pained her. There had to be some way to fix their relationship.

When they got to the diner, the group from underground was sitting at a large, round booth in a corner. They leisurely ate and chatted about the events of the day and what they would do now.

Mikey sat at a separate table from the others. Nora was set on the other side of the table as she chatted quietly with the human. She quickly became silent, though, when Chell and Wheatley sat down at the table next to them.

"Hi, Mikey," Chell said as she sat next to him. "How is everybody in your team?"

"We're all doing fine," Mikey said. "Are you guys getting food?"

"I don't know," Chell said. "I almost feel like I'm too tired to eat."

"I've had those nights before," Mikey said, nodding. "I'm usually coding, though, and not running around a crazy facility."

"I'm not hungry," Wheatley said quietly. He was staring down at the table, trying not to look over at Nora. The bot noticed this and she rolled her eye.

"Wheatley, listen," Nora said in a quiet but stern voice. "I'm still mad at you for everything that you did, but I should be able to forgive you. I mean, you put Chell through a lot, too, and _she_ could forgive you."

Chell seemed a bit awkward about this, avoiding eye-contact as she looked toward the counter of the diner.

"And…I do still love you," Nora continued. "But…I don't want to be your girlfriend."

Wheatley had still been staring down as she spoke but now he looked up at her with a stabbing pain in his chest.

"You hurt me too much, Wheatley," she said. "I've had a lot of time to think about this. For a while, I couldn't decide whether or not to forgive you after the way you treated me." She looked down for a moment as she tried to choose her next words carefully. "Who knows? Maybe one day we can try to have a relationship like we used to. But right now, I don't want that. I-I'm sorry."

Wheatley's chest still hurt a great deal and there were tears rolling down his cheeks, but he found himself smiling at her. "I still love you, too, Nora," he said. "And I'm glad you're safe. I think perhaps you're right, though. You deserve to be with someone better."

"Hey, I didn't say that," Nora said softly.

"I know," Wheatley said. "But we're both _thinking_ it." He looked just past her and saw that the whole group was now watching them with great interest. He wiped his tears away on his sleeve. "I'm going to get to bed early. Chell, could I possibly stay over at your apartment tonight?"

"Yeah, of course," Chell said.

They both stood up from the table but Chell paused by Nora.

"It was nice to finally meet you, Nora," she said.

"Likewise," Nora said shyly.

As they headed for the exit, Wheatley bumped into a woman who was just coming in.

"Oh! Sorry!" he said nervously. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going!"

"It's fine," the woman said, smiling. She had such creamy skin and dark hair that fell to her mid-back in curls. "I wasn't really paying any attention either."

Mikey recognized this woman and he turned to see if Amelia had noticed her yet. She certainly had as she stared at the woman in disbelief. She absently stood from the table and hesitantly walked over to the woman.

When the woman noticed Amelia approaching, her eyes widened. "Oh my god…Amelia?"

"M-Mom…" Amelia said in a quiet, flat tone. "You're supposed to be dead…"

Leah rushed forward to take her daughter in her arms. "Amelia, my angel!" she cried. "I can't believe you're here!" She held her daughter out at arm's length to get a good look at her with teary eyes. "My goodness! You're almost like my twin! Remember when people would say that when they saw us together, sweetie?"

"Um, Ms. Oates?" Mikey said, standing up from the table.

Leah turned her attention to Mikey. "Is that little Mikey?!" she cried out and went over to hug the young man. Mikey wasn't sure how to react to this. He didn't exactly feel like hugging somebody who had been presumed dead for almost two decades.

She held Mikey out so that she could now study him like she did with her daughter. "Look at you! You've grown into quite a handsome young man!" She got a cheeky look on her face. "Are you married to Amelia now? Remember when you two would play together? There was that one time when you pretended that you were a husband and wife spy duo. Remember?"

Mikey's face turned red. He hadn't thought about that for several years. He looked at Amelia with embarrassment but she was still too shocked to notice him.

"Mom…What happened?" Tears finally broke through her eyes. "Grant told me you had died. He said that the Combine had killed you while you were trying to help people down to the compound."

Leah let go of Mikey to turn back to her daughter with a troubled expression. "That was generous of Grant," she said. "Sweetie…All I can say is that I panicked. I was terrified of being in charge of the compound while also trying to raise a child in so much chaos. I did direct people to the compound—"

"But you just decided not to come back?" Amelia asked. "Are you serious with this? You were scared to be a leader so you left your daughter to deal with it."

"I—Well, Grant was supposed to take over for me—"

"He told me that you had said you wanted me to take over if anything were to happen to you," Amelia said. "I took that _very_ seriously. I wanted to do you proud so when I turned fourteen, I started becoming the leader of the compound. I wanted to help everyone because I thought that it was what _you_ would have done. But you were too scared! You didn't want that kind of responsibility! Well, you know what?! Sometimes I didn't either but I knew I had to! It was my duty! I care about everyone back at the compound, but you only care about yourself!"

Amelia was trembling with anger now as she glared at the other woman.

"Amelia," Leah said, tears falling from her eyes. "You need to understand that it was a very difficult time. I was so confused—"

"Stop," Mikey said sternly. He stepped between the two women and faced Leah. "There's absolutely no excuse for what you did, Ms. Oates. You caused her so much anguish and put so much pressure on her—"

"I stopped talking to my best friend because of you!" Amelia shouted at Leah. She gently pushed Mikey aside to get up in her mother's face. "I was so depressed and so hurt from mourning over you that I neglected Mikey! It's amazing that he's still so nice to me after the way I had avoided him and tried to ignore him! He's so sweet and considerate of me, and I tossed aside his friendship because I was too focused on _you!"_

A small smile crept onto Mikey's face as his heart beat faster. Leah looked completely torn by her daughter's words. She looked from Amelia to Mikey, then back to Amelia.

"Amelia," she said quietly. "I'm _extremely_ sorry. I didn't know that it would affect you like this—"

"How _did_ you think it would affect me?! You're my mom! I looked up to you, and you left me!"

She suddenly turned around and left the diner. Mikey looked around at all of the diner patrons staring at them. Leah appeared absolutely mortified. Mikey turned and followed his friend outside.

"Amelia?" he called out. He looked around and couldn't see her anywhere, but he could hear muffled sobs coming from behind the building. He went down an alley and found her sitting against the wall next to a garbage can. She had her knees pulled up and was crying into her arms. Her sobs were hard and sounded like she might start hyperventilating.

Mikey sat down next to her and crossed his legs. He rubbed her back soothingly, not knowing what else to do.

"I'm sorry, Amelia," he said quietly. "I'm sorry that she…I can't believe that she did that. But you don't need her. You're better than her."

Amelia suddenly threw herself into his arms and cried on his shoulder. It sounded like she was trying to tell him something, but her gasping sobs made it too hard to understand her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mikey saw a few people peeking around the corner of the building. He turned and saw Arin, Nate, and Natalie checking in on them. Mikey gave them a reassuring look so Nate and Natalie decided to leave him to comfort her instead of crowding her. Arin hesitated with a pained look as he watched Amelia sob into Mikey. Then he gave Mikey a weak smile and a thumbs-up before returning to the others.

"I'm sorry," Mikey said, rubbing her back again. "It'll be okay. Take as much time as you need."

His heart was racing as he felt how warm she was in his arms. Knowing that she was so close made him happy, but he wished he could take away her pain. Her tears were soaking into his shirt and it hurt him.

She started to try to tell him something again but he still couldn't understand her.

"Amelia, I need you to take slow, deep breaths before you talk, okay?" he said. "Give me ten slow, deep breaths."

Amelia's first few inhales hitched with her sobs, but she managed to slow her breathing and made each one last longer than the last.

"Are you feeling any better?" Mikey asked.

"M-Mikey," Amelia said in a shaky voice. "I-I've had a crush on you for a long time. I-I think I might love you."

Mikey felt like explosions were setting off inside him. He had a huge smile on his face as he pulled her closer to him.

"I-I didn't want to mess up our f-friendship so I n-never told you," Amelia continued. "I-I'm sorry."

Mikey couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Don't be sorry about that," he said. "I feel lightheaded with the ecstasy that it brings me to hear you say that."

Amelia looked up at Mikey's smiling face. "Really?"

"Absolutely!" Mikey said. He was starting to feel dizzy from the euphoria flowing throughout him. "Amelia, I've loved you since we were kids! You were always so adventurous and brave and adorable! How could I _not_ fall in love with you?" Now tears were streaming down _his_ face, as well.

Amelia suddenly leaned forward and kissed him for a long time. It was very awkward because Mikey hadn't been expecting this, and both their lips were a bit dry. It made more tears pour from Mikey's eyes as he held her close to him.

When the kissed ended, he put his hand on her cheek and held her face as he stared into her eyes. She laughed a little.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," she said.

Mikey moved his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for another long kiss. Then he rested his forehead against hers and laughed, as well.

**AN: Oh my god, I'm all emotional now after writing that last part! I'm so happy with the pairing at the end, and I hope to include them in other future stories. We're almost to the end, by the way. #50 is the last.  
**

**TTvTT**


	49. Chapter Forty-Nine: Settling Down

It had been three months since Nora had gotten out of Aperture. She now lived with Mikey and Amelia in the same apartment building as Doug. Mikey had moved all of his computers and research into the empty apartment next to theirs to serve as his study. Amelia would join him sometimes and draw in a chair next to him.

Doug was getting back into drawing again, too, with a sketchbook that Amelia had given him. He was trying to draw comics now of Nora and Toby having little adventures. Kurt's hard drive had fried not long after leaving Aperture. It was very upsetting for Nora, but now Toby inhabited the construct. His structure had been reinforced by Arin so he was a lot sturdier. He was even strong enough to pull Nora around in a little cart to help her get around, but they both still needed help getting down stairs.

Mikey couldn't be happier with his situation. He had a huge working space for all of his projects, and he finally got to fall asleep cuddling with the love of his life. He was glad that Leah had left without trying to get Amelia to forgive her. Amelia seemed so much happier now that she didn't need to run the compound anymore, but she still occasionally helped people move up to the surface.

Wheatley had moved into Chell's apartment. They had decided to try to just stay as friends, but every so often, Ben would find them cuddling on the couch together as they watched old VHS tapes. Wheatley still felt bad that Nora had rejected him, but Chell also made him happy so he tried to focus more on a relationship with her.

* * *

One day, Doug was just waking up and turned over in the bed to see Valentine already awake. She was staring up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

"Is everything okay?" Doug asked.

"Doug…I think I might be pregnant."

He quickly sat up and stared at her wide-eyed. "A-Are you sure?" he asked.

Valentine nodded. "I know all of the symptoms. I've been through it all before. I'm nauseous, I'm constantly tired, I've been peeing more." She moved the blanket aside and she lifted her shirt to show her belly. "Doug, I've been getting fatter."

Doug did have to admit that her belly was looking a bit bloated. Anxiety started to creep into his head after realization.

"Do you….Do you think it's…mine?" he stammered.

"I've thought that, too," she said quietly. "There's no real way to know until the kid is born. That man….He'd had red hair."

Doug went to James for advice. Maybe there was some way that he could test it.

"Well, I suppose I could do a pH test," James said. "I'll need her to, uh…urinate in a cup for me to test."

Valentine obliged and James tested it with his litmus strips. It was positive for pregnancy. Doug asked for another test just to be sure. James tested four times and they were all positive.

**AN: One more chapter to tie this story all up. I want to thank everybody who managed to keep reading. I hope you'll be happy with the last chapter.**


End file.
